The Timlady and two Timelords
by loulouflowerpower
Summary: Sequel to Finding the last Timelady. Rose is traped in Pete's world. The Hatter keeps feeling like something (or someone) is calling her name. The Doctor...is the Doctor and Martha Jones is learning something that very few know or understand. Will the Doctor tell the Hatter his true feelings? Or will someone push (I mean force) them further apart?
1. Chapter 1 The Runaway bride part 1

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who...but one day I will.**_

_**I suggested if you haven't read 'Finding the last Timelady' that you do so before reading this. **_

_**Just a little reminder of what the Hatter looks like, shoulder length, red wavy hair, green eyes, pale skin, the same height as the Doctor. Now clothes: black skinny jeans, purple canvas shoes, smiley face on her t-shirt, long purple Burberry scarf (as long as the fourth Doctor's but doesn't get in the way as much) black and purple Burberry hat that Mickey gave her after she lost her first one, and a dark brown trench coat simular to the Doctors.**_

...

_**The runaway bride part 1**_

"You can't do that," the Doctor gaped looking around trying to work out what was going on, "I wasn't...we're in flight!" he glanced at the Hatter but she was shaking her head, "That is...that is physically impossible! How did..."

"That's...that's..." the Hatter was lost for words, "Oh, this is a first".

"Tell me where I am," the woman demanded, "I demand you tell me right now...where am I?"

"Inside the TARDIS," the Doctor and the Hatter said as the Doctor stared at the woman.

"The what?"

"The TARDIS," the Hatter said coming out of her shock.

"The what?" the woman repented.

"The TARDIS!" the Doctor shouted, turning back to the consol as the Hatter did the same.

"The what?"

"It's called the TARDIS," the Hatter said, gently.

"That's not even a proper word!" the woman shouted, "You're just saying things".

"How did you get here?" the Doctor asked looking up from the controls.

"Well, obviously, when you kidnapped me!" the woman shouted, "Who was it? Who's paying you? Is it Nerys? Oh my God, she's finally got me back. This has got Nerys written all over it".

The Doctor watched the woman as she ranted, still completely confused, "Who the hell is Nerys?"

"You best friend".

"Sorry, standing right here," the Hatter raised her hand from where she was working on the consol, "Hello!"

"Hold on, wait a minute," the Doctor cut in, "What're you dressed like that for?"

"You did not just ask that, Doctor," the Hatter shook her head.

"I'm going ten pin bowling," the woman sarcastically said, before she started shouting, "Why do you think, Dumbo? I was half way up the aisle!"

"I wish that had happened at my wedding," the Hatter muttered to herself but the Doctor heard and frowned as he fiddled with one of the controls.

The woman started walking towards him, "I've been waiting all my life for this," the woman ranted, "I was just seconds away! And then you...I dunno, drugged me or something!"

"We haven't done anything!" the Doctor defended.

"We're having the police on you!" the woman told them, "Me and my husband, as soon as he is my husband, we're gonna sue the living backside off ya!"

The Doctor didn't say anything, focusing on the controls. The woman looked over and noticed the front doors, making a break for them just as the Hatter looked up.

"No, stop!" the Hatter shouted rushing after her, "I wouldn't do that!"

But it was too late; the woman threw the doors open and stopped at the sight of the supernova outside. Her moth fell open as the Doctor made his way over to the woman and the Hatter.

"You're in space," the Hatter explained gently, "Outer space. This is a...spaceship. It's called the 'TARDIS'".

"How am I breathing?" the woman asked still staring out at the supernova.

"The TARDIS is protecting us," the Hatter answered.

"Who are you?"

"I'm the Hatter," the Hatter smiled at her before pointing at the Doctor, "And that's the Doctor. And you are?"

"Donna".

"Human?" the Doctor asked, eyeing Donna up and down.

"Yeah," Donna said, "Is that optional?"

"Well, it is for me," the Doctor shrugged.

"I spent five years as a human," the Hatter added.

Donna glanced at them, "You're aliens".

"Yeah," the Doctor said.

"That pretty much sums it up," the Hatter said.

Donna paused a moment, before she spoke, "It's freezing with these doors open".

The Hatter reached out and slammed the doors shut as the Doctor ran back up to the consol, "But I don't understand it and I understand everything!" the Hatter started laughing.

"Other than not to put metal in the microwave," the Hatter laughed, "You spent two hours trying to fix it. I couldn't stop laughing".

"Other than that," the Doctor said, "This...this can't happen! There is no way a human being can lock itself onto the TARDIS and transport itself inside. It must be..." he grabbed an ophthalmoscope, and used it to look in Donnas eyes, all the time talking, "Impossible. Some sort of subatomic connection? Something in the temporal field? Maybe something pulling you into alignment with the chronon shell. Maybe something macro-mining you're DNA within the interior matrix. Maybe a genetic..."

Donna slapped him right on the face.

"Donna, you are my hero!" the Hatter laughed so hard that she holding onto the railing to stop herself from collapsing on the floor.

"What was that for?" the Doctor cried.

"Get me to the church!" Donna yelled at him.

The Doctor dropped the instrument, turning back to the controls as the Hatter calmed down, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes, "Right! Fine! I don't want you here anyway! Where is this wedding?"

"Saint Mary's," Donna told them as they started putting the coordinates, "Hayden Road, Chiswick, London, England, Earth, the Solar System..." she stopped, spotting Rose's purple jacket hanging over the railings, snatching it up, "I knew it!" shouted at them, "Acting all innocent..." she walked over to them, waving the jacket at them, "I'm not the first, am I? How many woman have you abducted?"

The Doctor and the Hatter looked at Donna before their eyes fell on the jacket. The Hatter put her hand on the Doctor's arm as he gazed sadly at the jacket.

"That's my friend's," the Doctor said quietly.

"Where is she, then?" Donna asked, sarcastically, "Popped out for a spacewalk?"

"She's gone," the Hatter said quietly, taking the Doctors hand and squizzing it to remained him that she was there.

"Gone where?"

"We lost her," the Doctor swallowed.

"Well, you can hurry up and lose me!" Donna shouted making the Hatter wince. Donna noticed and looked closer at their expression, "How do you mean, 'lost'?" she asked, softer.

"So, Chiswick!" the Hatter said grabbing the jacket from Donna and turned back to the controls, slipping the jacket in her pocket so the Doctor didn't have to see it, "Here we come," she flicked a switch and headed for the doors, "Come on you two".

...

When they stepped out, it was the correct time, planet...but it didn't look anything like where they were supposed to be.

"I said 'Saint Mary's,'" Donna shouted at them, "What sort of Martians are you? Where's this?"

"Martians?" the Hatter smiled, "Maybe him but I'm not".

"Something's wrong with her..." the Doctor stroked the edge of the TARDIS doors, "It's like she's..."

"Recalibrating," the Hatter suggested as she walked inside following the Doctor who had run, "She's digesting," the Doctor nodded his agreement, neither of them taking any notices of Donna looking around the outside of the TARDIS.

"What have you eaten?" the Doctor placed a hand on the rotor as the Hatter did the same, "What's wrong?"

"Something tells me that it has something to do with Donna," the Hatter sighed, "Donna?" she called over her shoulder, "You've got to think. Is there anything that might have caused this?"

"Anything you might've done?" the Doctor called, "Any sort of alien contact? I can't let you go wondering off in case you're dangerous," he ducked away from the Hatter as she went to hit his arm.

"Don't tell her that," the Hatter rolled her eyes, "She's already panicking about her wedding we don't need her worrying about being somehow dangerous to".

"Okay, fine," the Doctor held his hands up before calling over his shoulder again, "I mean, have you...have you seen lights in the sky? Or...did you touch something? Something...something different? Something strange? Something made out of a sort of metal or..."

"What about you're fiancé?" the Hatter called shaking her head at the Doctor's ramblings, "Who are you getting married to? Are you sure he's human?"

"He's not overweight with a zip around his forehead, is he?" the Doctor called but they didn't get a reply. They looked through the doorway to see Donna with her hand over her mouth, running away.

"Every time," the Hatter sighed before running after Donna with the Doctor behind her, "Donna, wait!"

"Leave me alone," Donna shook her head as they fell in to step with her, "I just want to get married".

"Please, come back to the TARDIS," the Hatter said, "I'll even show you around".

"No way!" Donna exclaimed, "That box it too...weird".

"It's...bigger on the inside, that's all," the Doctor shrugged.

"Oh! That's all?" Donna sighed and checked her watch, "Ten past three. I'm gonna miss it".

"You can phone them," the Doctor suggested, "Tell them where you are".

"How do I do that?" Donna asked.

"Haven't you got a mobile?" the Doctor frowned glancing at the Hatter who was shaking her head.

Donna stared at him, "I'm in my wedding dress. It doesn't have pockets. Who has pockets? Have you ever seen a bride with pockets? When I went to my fitting, do you think I said, 'Alison, the one thing I forgot to say is give me pockets?"

"Yeah, Doctor," the Hatter smiled, crossing her arms, "What do you have to say to that?"

"This man you're marring...what's his name?" the Doctor asked.

"Lance," Donna sighed affectionately.

"Good luck Lance..." the Doctor muttered.

"Oi!" Donna shouted, pointing her finger at them, "No stupid Martians are gonna stop me from getting married. To hell with you!"

She turned and ran off leaving the Doctor and the Hatter standing there, "I'm...I'm not...I'm not...I'm not From Mars..." the Doctor mumbled.

"Could have fooled me," the Hatter shot him a smile before she started to run after Donna only to stop, putting her hand on her head.

"Hatter, are you alright?" the Doctor asked putting a hand on her shoulder.

The Hatter blinked a few times before nodding, "It's just...I thought I felt something brush across my mind," she shook her head, "It was like...like..." she stopped suddenly, "Forget it. It's impossible and I mean impossible...unless...no".

"Hatter, you're starting to worry me," the Doctor frowned.

"I'm fine now," the Hatter said giving him a smile but it was still a little forced, "Come on or we'll lose Donna, again".

She grabbed his hand and started running down the street. When they did catch up with Donna she was trying to wave down a taxi, "Taxi!" she shouted as one drove past, "Why's his light on?"

"There's another one!" the Doctor pointed and ran to try to catch it.

"Taxi!" Donna shouted as they stumbled into the road to try and stop at least one taxi but they just drove past, "Oi!"

"There's one!" the Doctor tried again, this time waving his arms making the Hatter laugh but the taxis drove past.

"Oi!" Donna shouted.

"Do you have this effect on everyone?" the Doctor looked at Donna, "Why aren't they stopping?"

"They think I'm in fancy dress," Donna said.

A taxi drove past, hooting its horn, "Stay off the scotch darling!"

"They think your drunk," the Hatter tried not to smile.

"You're not fooling any one, mate!" two guys driving past yelled out of the window.

"They think I'm in drag!"

The Doctor looked Donna up and down as the Hatter shook her head.

"Must I do everything?" the Hatter stepped past them, putting her fingers on her mouth and whistled. The Doctor and Donna winced, covering their ears. But at least it made one of the taxis stop in front of them, "Brides first," the Hatter smiled and gestured to Donna to get in first followed by the Doctor and last the Hatter.

"Saint Mary's in Chiswick, just of Hayden Road," Donna told the driver, "It's an emergency, I'm getting married! Just...hurry up!"

"They really should make taxis bigger," the Hatter sighed as she had to lean into the Doctor to close the door, "I miss the TARDIS".

"You know it'll cost you, sweetheart?" the driver said, "Double rates today".

"Oh, my God!" Donna gasped and turned to the Doctor and the Hatter, "Have you got any money?"

"Um...no," the Doctor said looking at the Hatter, "Hatter?"

"I could look but it might take a while," the Hatter sighed shaking her head, "Sometimes big pockets can just be to big".

The Doctor look back to Donna, "Haven't you?"

Donna gestured to her dress as the Hatter shook her head, "Pockets!"

...

"...and that goes double for your mother!" Donna shouted at the taxi driver as they stood on the curb, "I'll have him. I've got his number. I'll have him. Talk about the Christmas spirit".

"Remained me to never get on your bad side," the Hatter muttered to herself, "But people have said the same for me".

"Is it Christmas?" the Doctor asked looking around the street.

"Well, duh," Donna rolled her eyes, "Maybe not on Mars, but here it's Christmas Eve".

"I love Christmas," the Hatter grinned as the Doctor shot her a smile, "Do you remember when we had that snowball fight in our fifth bodies?"

"And I tried to play snowball cricket," the Doctor laughed, "We all ended up soaking wet. I never asked but did you're companions get sick?"

"Yes," the Hatter laughed, "They refused to go anywhere for a week. It nearly drove me insane being stuck in the Time Vortex".

"Phone box!" Donna suddenly shouted, quickly running over to it, "We can reverse the charges!"

"How come you're getter married on Christmas Eve?" the Doctor asked as they ran after Donna.

"Can't bear it. I hate Christmas. Honeymoon in Morocco. Sunshine, lovely," the Doctor held the phone box door open for her, "What's the operator? I've not done this in years. What do you dial? 100?"

The Hatter pulled out her sonic and flashed it against the phone, "Just call direct".

"What did you do?" Donna demanded as the tone buzzed on the end of the receiver.

"Something..." the Doctor muttered, looking around and not noticing that Donna had been asking the Hatter, "Martian. Now, phone. I'll get money!"

He turned and ran to the cash machine just a few shops up where a man was using it in front of him. The Hatter followed after him just as he stated hoping from one foot to the other.

"Stop it," the Hatter shook her head and grabbed his arm, "You look like a child doing that. It won't kill you to wait".

"And how do you know that?" the Doctor asked as he stopped hoping.

"I'm 'Martian,'" the Hatter smiled, "I know everything".

The Doctor laughed shaking his head just as the man in front moved. He darted forward and cast a look around to check that no one was watching before sonic the machine. He grabbed a handful of cash, about to turn back to Donna, when he caught the Hatter looking past him, frowning.

He followed her line of sight to see a group of Santa's playing trumpets close by, "Hatter?" he asked.

"Is it just me or is Santa a little too stiff?" the Hatter remarked still frowning, "There not human. They were playing when we arrived and haven't stopped for breath once. They're robots. Brilliant".

The Doctor was about to say something when...

"Taxi!" they looked over to see Donna had just hailed a cab, getting in the back. She turned back and looked at them, "Thanks for nothing, spaceman!" she shouted, "I'll see you both in court!" she added, shutting the door as the taxi started driving off, a Santa driving.

"Donna!" the Doctor and the Hatter shouted in unison, running after her, but it was too late. The Hatter cast a look behind her to see the Santa's lowering their trumpets like a weapon, all three of them slowly moving.

The Hatter pulled her sonic out, pointing it at the cash machine, causing notes of money to fly out. All of the humans around them scrambled around trying to grab as much money as they could, stuffing it into their pockets. The Doctor grabbed the Hatters hand and started running towards the TARDIS. They ran inside and over to the controls.

The Hatter dashed around one side of the controls when she heard a thump from where the Doctor was working, looking up to see him holding a hammer.

"Please tell me you didn't just hit her," she sighed as she flicked a switch.

"What was I supposed to do?" the Doctor shouted just as the rotor started to rise and fall.

"Did you even read the hand book?" the Hatter shook her head bring the monitor to her side to check the taxi's progress, quickly typing something into the consol. It sparked violently, titling to the side making the Hatter grab the consol with one hand to keep her balance.

"Behave!" the Doctor shouted, hitting the console with the hammer once again, "And of course I did!" the Hatter gave him a look, "I...I might have fallen asleep half way through but I did read it!"

The TARDIS fell out of the sky, spinning in the air just above Donna's taxi.

"You are un-believable!" the Hatter called to him, "Oh, wait, sorry I forgot who I was talking to!"

"Remember to pull that lever!" he pointed to a lever on the consol.

"I unlike you actually studied before my exams!" she shouted at him, rolling her eyes, "How you thought you were going to pass by looking at pictures in a book, I have no idea!"

"It was a diagram!" the Doctor shouted, "You were the one who gave me the book!"

"You where meant to read the whole thing not look at the pictures!" the Hatter rolled her eyes, "I should have known when you finished it after an hour! But I didn't think that you would need to be told how to read a book!"

He shook his head and ran to the doors, thronging them open as the Hatter brought them alongside the taxi, smother then he could have.

"Open the door!" the Doctor yelled as Donna started at him, her hands pressed against the window.

"Do you what?" Donna shook her head.

"Open the door!" he yelled again.

"I can't, it's locked!" Donna showed him by trying to open the door. He pulled the sonic out and pointed it at the door, allowing her to push the window open, "Santa's a robot!" she shouted.

"Donna, open the door!" the Doctor yelled.

"What for?" Donna shouted.

"You've got to jump!"

The robot in the front driving turned its head.

"I'm not flipping, jumping!" Donna shouted shaking her head, "I'm supposed to be getting married!"

Suddenly the Taxi sped off, overtaking the TARDIS. The Hatter quickly pulled a lever, once again gaining sped on the taxi, but also causing a large explosion from the consol. She ducked but one of the sparks hit the side of her cheek, leaving a small burn, she didn't notice that when she had ducked she had put a hand in front of her face, also burning it. She shook her head and focused on what she was doing rather than the pain. She pulled another leveller, leading it towards the taxi, less smoothly than before, banging on top of cars as she worked with one hand.

The Doctor struggled to regain his balance, pointing his sonic at the robot, disabling it.

"Listen to me!" the Doctor shouted to Donna, "You've got to jump".

"I'm not jumping on a motorway," Donna shouted back shaking her head.

"Whatever that thing it, it needs you," he shouted, "And whatever it needs you for, it's not good. Now, come on!"

"I'm in my wedding dress!"

"Yes! you look lovely! Come on!"

Donna took a deep breath, opening the door. The Doctor opened his arms, ready to catch her.

"I can't do it," she shook her head, scared as she saw the road speeding below her.

"Trust me".

"Is that what you said to her?" Donna asked, "Your friend? The one you lost? Did she trust you?"

"Yes, she did," he nodded, swallowing, "And she is not dead. She is so alive. Now, jump!"

Donna took a deep breath, and with a scream, jumped, landing on top of the Doctor on the TARDIS floor. He smiled at her before standing, slamming the doors closed as the Hatter quickly piloted them through the sky and landed on a building roof.

...

Donna stepped out of the TARDIS, looking down at her watch as the Doctor used a fire extinguisher as smoke billowed out of the door. The Hatter stood by the door way with a small mirror in her hand, checking how bad her burn was. Thankfully the Doctor hadn't noticed it yet.

"The funny thing is," the Doctor commented as he walked over to Donna as the Hatter put the mirror away, wincing as her burn on her hand twinge, "For a spaceship, she doesn't really do that much flying. We'd better give her a couple of hours".

"Are you alright, Donna?" the Hatter asked watching the woman a little sadly.

"Doesn't matter," Donna shrugged.

"Did we miss it?" the Doctor asked.

"Yeah".

"Well, you can book another date..." the Hatter tried trying to cheer her up.

"Course we can," Donna nodded but her heart wasn't in it.

"Still got the honeymoon..." the Doctor said.

"It's just a holiday now".

"Yeah..." the Doctor nodded, rubbing the side of his neck, "Yeah...sorry".

"It's not your fault," Donna shrugged.

"Oh!" the Hatter smiled, "That's a change".

"Wish we had a time machine," Donna laughed not noticing the Doctor and the Hatter glance at the TARDIS, "Then we could go back and get it right".

"...yeah, yeah," the Doctor nodded, glancing at the TARDIS again, "But...even if we did, I couldn't go back on someone's personal timeline...apparently".

"Also...it would course a explosion and blow part of the Time Vortex apart," the Hatter said before she could stop herself, "I...I read about it in a book somewhere".

Donna eyed them suspiciously before turning and sitting on the edge of the roof. The Hatter sat beside her, taking the mirror back out and a small first aid kit. The Doctor took his suit jacket off and draped around Donna's shoulders as he sat next to the Hatter.

"God, you're skinny," Donna remarked, trying to tug the jacket closer to her, "This wouldn't fit a rat".

"You can have mine," the Hatter said carful taking her jacket off and passing it to Donna, "I don't feel the cold like you".

"This is even worse than his," Donna shook her head.

"Take my scarf then," the Hatter shrugged and took her scarf off, passing it to Donna, "It's a bit long but I like it. Doctor, could you help me here?"

The Doctor looked confused until his eyes fell on her burn on her hand, "Why didn't you tell me earlier?" he asked as he gently took her hand and examined it.

"I am a doctor to," the Hatter shook her head, "I just need you to put the bandage around it. The one on my face is already partly healed it's just that this one is deeper".

"I can see that," he frowned, taking the bandage she passed it to him and gently started wrapping it.

"Oh, Donna I almost forgot," the Hatter said as the Doctor wrapped her hand, "You had better put this on," she pulled a gold wedding ring from her jeans pocket and put it on her hand.

"Oh, do you have to rub it in?" Donna looked down at the ring.

"Those creatures can trace you," the Hatter explained as the Doctor gently placed her now wrapped hand in his, "This is a bio-damper. It should keep you hidden".

Donna stuck her ring finger out as the Hatter slipped it on, "With this ring, I thee bio-damp," she said.

"For better or for worse," Donna laughed.

"If Lance was here I could marry you," the Hatter remarked, "I could marry just about anyone in the Universe. Only two planets I can't but that's because I'm a woman and I would have to have been born there".

Donna and the Doctor raised their eyebrows.

"I get bored easily," the Hatter shrugged.

"So, come on then," Donna said to the Doctor, "Robot Santa's...what are they for?"

"Ah, your basic robo-scavenger," the Doctor shrugged, "The Father Christmas stuff is just a disguise. They're trying to blend in. I met them last Christmas".

"Why, what happened then?" Donna asked.

The Doctor and the Hatter looked at her curiously.

"...great big spaceship?" the Doctor asked as the Hatter frowned, "Hovering over London? You didn't notice?"

"I had a bit of a hangover," Donna shrugged.

The Doctor nodded, looking at the city, "I spent Christmas Day just over there," he nodded over to Rose's old home, "The Powell Estate. With this...family. My friend, she had this family. Well, they were..." he paused a moment as the Hatter took his hand, "Still...gone now".

"No one is ever truly gone as long as you remember them," the Hatter smiled, "That's why no matter how painful it is to remember our home I make sure I do because as soon as we forget then is like they never existed".

The Doctor shot her a soft smile, putting an arm around her.

"You're friend...who was she?" Donna asked.

"Question is," the Doctor sighed, ignoring Donna, "What do camouflaged robot mercenaries want with you? And how did you get inside the TARDIS? I don't know..." he looked over at Donna as she rolled her eyes. The Hatter reached into his suit jacket pocket and passed him his sonic, "What's your job?"

"I'm a secretary," Donna told them.

The Doctor started scanning her as the Hatter leaned back so he could get a better view, "It's weird, I mean...you're not special, you're not powerful, you're not connected, you're not clever, you're not important..."

"Ignore him," the Hatter cut in, giving the Doctor a look to be quite, "I happen to disagree with all of them".

"This friend of yours..." Donna glared at the Doctor, "Just before she left, did she punch you in the face?" she hit the sonic aside, "Stop bleeping me!"

"What kind of secretary?" the Hatter asked not wanting to have to listen to the Doctor complain about being slapped again.

"I'm at H.C Clements," Donna said, "It's where I met Lance. I was temping," she smiled, "I mean; it was all a bit posh really. I'd spent the last two years at a double glazing firm. Well, I thought...I'm never gonna fit in here. And then he made me a coffee. I mean, that just doesn't happen. Nobody gets the secretaries a coffee. And Lance...he's the head of HR! He don't need to bother with me! But he was nice, he was funny. And it turns out he thought everyone else was really snotty too. So that's how it started, me and him...one cup of coffee. That was it".

"When was this?" the Doctor asked.

"Six months ago," Donna smiled.

"Bit quick, to get married..." the Hatter frowned.

"Well...he insisted," Donna said, "And he nagged...and he nagged me...and he just...wore me down and then finally, I just gave in".

The Doctor and the Hatter exchanged amused looks as the story sounded as if it was around the other way.

"What does HC Clements do?" the Hatter asked.

"Oh, security systems, you know...entry codes, ID cards, that sort of thing. If you ask me, it's a posh name for 'locksmiths'".

"Keys..." the Doctor and the Hatter mussed.

"Anyway, enough of my CV," Donna said, "Come on, it's time to face the consequences. Oh, this is gonna be so shaming. You can do the explaining, Martian-boy, Martian-girl".

"Yeah," the Doctor said as they stood, "We're not from Mars".

"Oh, I had this great big reception all planned," Donna sighed, not taking any notice of what the Doctor said, "Everyone's gonna be heartbroken..."

...

If heartbroken was everyone dancing, drinking, eating, and laughing then everyone in the reception area was extremely heartbroken. Donna stopped, folded her arms, glaring at everyone as her mother spotted her, freezing. The rest of the room followed quickly after, until all eyes were on the three of them.

"You had the reception without me?" Donna demanded.

"Donna...what happened to ya?" a man, presumably Lance asked.

"You had the reception without me?" Donna repeated in disbelief.

"Hello!" the Doctor cheerfully interrupted as the Hatter waved, "I'm the Doctor and this is the Hatter".

Donna turned to them, "They had the reception without me!"

"Yes, we gathered," the Doctor said as the Hatter covered her laugh with a cough.

"Well, it was all paid for...why not?" a blonde woman stepped forward.

"Thank you, Nerys," Donna glared at her.

"So you're Nerys," the Hatter stepped forward and leaned closer to Donna, "I see what you mean about the tan," she commented before stepping back next to the Doctor.

"What was that?" the Doctor whispered to her.

"Just trying to make Donna feel better," the Hatter shrugged.

"Well, what were we supposed to do?" an older woman walked closer, obviously Donna's mother, "I got your silly little message in the end, 'I'm on Earth?' very funny. What the hell happened? How did you do it? I mean, what's the trick because I'd love to know..."

The whole room started talking all at once, asking questions, demanding to know how she did it to the point that Donna burst into tears. Everyone stopped talking. Lance stepped forward and hugged Donna as she cried on his shoulder. Everyone started applauding when Donna glanced at the Doctor and the Hatter, giving them a wink through fake tears.

"I knew I liked her," the Hatter whispered to the Doctor as they smirked.

_**I hope you liked it and I would like to say thank you to everyone who reviewed/ favourite/ alerted my last story, finding the last Timelady, it really meant a lot.**_


	2. Chapter 2 The runaway bride part 2

_**The runaway bride part 2**_

The Doctor and the Hatter leaned against the bar and watched as the party continued around them, this time with Donna who was dancing with Lance. A young man slid up next to the Hatter and turned to her.

"Hi, my name's Chris," he introduced much to the Hatter's surprise.

"Um...hello," the Hatter glanced at the Doctor as he watched, "I'm the Hatter".

Chris raised his eyebrows but shrugged, "Would you like to dance?"

Thankful the Hatter was saved from answering as the Doctor grabbed her hand and pulled her onto the dance floor.

"Doctor, you do realise that we should be trying to work out what's going on with the robots," the Hatter frowned as they danced, "I thought we were going to keep a watch out for anything odd".

"We can still do that from here," the Doctor shrugged as the Hatter spotted a man with a phone.

"I have an idea," she whispered, pulling him back over to the bar, "Excuse me sir but my phone just died, could I borrow yours?"

"Yeah sure," he passed it to her.

The Doctor slipped his glasses on and watched as the Hatter did a WAP search for H.C Clements. She cast a look around to check if anyone was watching before pulling her sonic out and speeding up the process. They both stared at the screen as the words 'Sole Proprietor: TORCHWOOD' pooped up.

The Hatter quickly closed the phone and gave it back to the man as the Doctor fall back against the bar. The Hatter sighed and looked around the room before she noticed a man with a camera; pointing this out to the Doctor they made their way over to the man.

"I taped the whole thing..." the man told them when they asked him about it, "They've all had a look. They said 'sell it to You've Been Framed.' I said 'more like the news.' Here we are..."

He played the tape; the camera zoomed in on Donna's face as she disintegrated into golden particles with a scream.

"Can't be!" the Doctor gaped, "Play it again?"

"Clever, mind!" the cameraman nodded, "Good trick, I'll give her that. I was clapping".

The re-watched the tape as Danna disappeared.

"But that looks like..." the Doctor trailed off looking at the Hatter who was nodding.

"Huon Particles," the Hatter nodded.

"What's that?" the cameraman asked

"That's impossible, that's...ancient!" the Doctor took his glasses off as the Hatter didn't both to correct him, "Huon energy doesn't exist anymore, not for billions of years! So old that..."

"...so old that it can't be hidden by a bi-damper!" the Hatter shouted as she ran over to the nearest window she could find only to find the Santa robots approaching. She looked back to the Doctor and nodded, he ran off after Donna and Lance.

"Donna!" the Doctor shouted as the Hatter ran after him, "Donna, they've found you".

"But you said I was safe," Donna gasped looking at the Hatter joined them.

"The bio-damper doesn't work like that," the Hatter sighed looking around at all the people, "We've got to get everyone out".

Donna looked around at everyone, "Oh, my God...it's all my family..."

"I'm sorry, Donna," the Hatter patted Donna's shoulder.

"Out the back door!" the Doctor suddenly shouted, guiding them only to find two Santa's approaching.

"Okay, that's cheating," the Hatter commented as the Doctor grabbed her hand and ran back inside. They ran over to another window to see two more Santa's, "Great, now I'm never going to be able to watch a Christmas movie again".

"We're trapped," Donna breathed not taking any notice of the Hatter.

One of the Satan's held up some sort of remote, pointing it at something behind them. The Doctor and the Hatter glanced behind them to see the Christmas tree in the middle of the room, "Christmas trees..." they both breathed.

"What about them?" Donna asked.

"They kill," the Doctor said as they started running to the tree, "Get away from the tree!"

"Don't touch the trees!" Donna tried shooing the children away.

"Get away from the Christmas trees!" the Hatter shouted as she tried to help Donna, "Everyone get away from them!"

"Out! Lance, tell them!"

"Stay away from the tree!" the Hatter shouted.

"Stay away from the tree!" the Doctor shouted at the same time as the Hatter.

"Oh, for God sakes, they're idiots!" Donna's mum rolled her eyes, "Why? What's a Christmas tree gonna...oh!"

She trailed off as the bubbles on the tree floated into the air away from the tree. The Doctor glanced at the Hatter as she narrowed her eyes at the bubbles while everyone around them watched in interest as the bubbles floated over their heads.

"Any ideas, Hatter?" the Doctor leaned closer to her.

"Bad very bad," the Hatter muttered looking around before back to the Doctor, "There bombs. Small ones but still dangers we need...everyone get down!"

The Hatter pushed the Doctor to the ground just as the bombs started dive bombing the crowed, small explosions throughout the room, people running and screaming trying to find something to cover them. The Doctor grabbed the Hatter's hand pulled her over to the DJ stand before standing up straight to find a line of Santa's on the opposite side of the room.

"Oi!" the Doctor called to the Santa's, "Santa's! Word of advice: if you're attacking a man with a sonic screwdriver..." he shot the Hatter a wink as he grabbed the microphone, "...don't let him near the sound system!"

"Get down and cover your ears!" the Hatter shouted a moment before the Doctor pressed the sonic into the amplifier, making a high-pitched, screeching sound. The Santa's shook violently, falling into pieces.

The Doctor pulled the sonic away as the Hatter took her hands away from her ears and followed the Doctor over to the Santa's, while the rest of the guests slowly stood.

"Alright, Stan...you'll be alright," Donna's father patted his friends shoulder, "It's all over".

"Michael?" Donna said to some children, "Connie?"

The Hatter picked up the control the Santa had been using, "Remote control for the decorations," she passed it to the Doctor and picked up one of the robot heads, "But there's a second remote for the Santa's. They're not scavengers anymore," she looked at the Doctor, "Someone's taken possession".

"Never mind all that, you're doctor's...people have been hurt," Donna cut in looking at the Doctor and the Hatter.

"Nah, they wanted you alive, look," the Doctor tossed a bauble at Donna as the Hatter looked around the room at all the people, "They're not active now".

"All I'm saying...you could help..." Donna said.

"Donna, trust I would love to help right now but...there's a signal!" the Hatter cried with her ear pressed to the side of the robot head. The Doctor quickly helped her up and ran outside.

The Hatter scanned the head with her sonic as Donna caught up with them outside.

"There's someone behind this," the Doctor muttered as he held onto the head, "Directing the robo-force".

"But why is it me?" Donna asked, "What have I done?"

"If we can find the controller, we'll find that out," the Hatter reassured before grinning, "Oh!" she raised the sonic into the air, "It's up there. Something in the sky".

A moment later she pulled the sonic back with a sigh, "Lost the signal. I hate it when that happens".

"We've got to get to your office, H.C Clements," the Doctor turned to Donna, "I think that's where it all started," he looked up as Lance walked over to them, "Lance...is it Lance? Can you give us a lift?'

Not waiting for an answer he darted off.

"Is he always like this?" Donna asked the Hatter.

"Yep," the Hatter shook her head and followed after him.

...

The Doctor, the Hatter, Donna, and Lance quickly arrived at H.C Clements, running into the building and over to a desk with a computer on it.

"This might just be a locksmith's," the Doctor explained to Donna and Lance, "But H.C. Clements was brought up 23 years ago by the Torchwood Institute".

"Who are they?" Donna frowned as the Doctor and the Hatter glanced at each other.

"They were behind the battle of Canary Wharf," the Doctor said while Donna just stared, "...Cybermen invasion?"Still nothing, "Skies over London full of Daleks?"

"Oh, I was in Spain," Donna shrugged it off.

"They had Cybermen in Spain," the Hatter frowned.

"Scuba diving".

"Why do I get the feeling you keep missing the big picture?" the Hatter shook her head as the Doctor moved to another computer, "Torchwood was destroyed, but H.C Clements stayed in business".

"I think...someone else came in and took over..." the Doctor cut in as he whacked the monitor, "The operation".

"Must you hit everything?" the Hatter shook her head fondly.

"But what do they want with me?" Donna frowned.

"Somehow you have been dosed with Huon energy," the Hatter said gently, "And that's a problem because Huon energy hasn't existed since the Dark Times. The only place you would find a Huon particle now is a remnant in the heart of the TARDIS. Doctor, show her please".

The Doctor turned around and picked up a cup, "Say...that's the TARDIS...and that's you," he picked up a pencil in his hand, "The particles inside you activated. The two sets of particles magnetized and WHAP!" he tossed the pencil into the cup, "You were pulled inside the TARDIS".

"I'm a pencil in a mug?" Donna breathed, weakly.

"Yes, you are," the Doctor nodded while the Hatter went to hit him only for him to move out of the way, "4H. Sums you up. Lance? What was H.C Clements working on? Anything top secret? Special operations? Do not enter?"

"That takes me back," the Hatter smiled before shaking her head, "Sorry but let's just say that you should never let someone like me into an office. Something my father found out," she looked at the Doctor, "I blame him. I was never in trouble until I met him".

"I don't know, I'm in charge of personnel," Lance said defensively, "I wasn't project manager," the Doctor turned back to the computer, flashing his sonic, displaying the page on the computer that he had been looking for, "Why am I even explaining myself? What the hell are we talking about?"

"They make keys, that's the point," the Doctor pointed at the 3D plan of the building on the screen, "And look at this...we're on the third floor".

He looked at them as the Hatter nodded he dashed over to the lift with, Lance, Donna, and the Hatter following, "Underneath reception, there's a basement, yes?" the Doctor asked them just as the lift pinged and opened, the Doctor and the Hatter stepped inside and looked at the controls, "Then how come, when you look on the lift, there's a button marked 'lower basement?' there's a whole floor which doesn't exist on the official plans. So what's down there, then?"

"Are you telling me this building's got a secret floor?" Lance raised his eyebrows.

"No, we're showing you this building's got a secret floor," the Hatter said.

"It needs a key," Donna pointed out.

"We don't," the Doctor shrugged, flashing his sonic at the controls, "Right then, thanks you two, we can handle this, see you later".

"Here's hoping your next wedding is better than this one," the Hatter added, "Maybe we could pop by...or maybe it's better we didn't. I'm rubbish at weddings," she looked at the Doctor, "He's worse".

"No chance, Martian's," Donna shook her head, "You're the ones who keep saving my life, I ain't letting you out of my sight".

"Going down," the Hatter joked as Donna stepped inside the lift.

"Lance?" Donna looked pointedly at her fiancé.

"Maybe I should go to the police..." Lance began only for Donna to cut him off.

"Inside".

Lance meekly did as he was told and walked into the lift.

"To honour and obey?" the Doctor smirked while the Hatter rolled her eyes.

"What would you know about obeying someone?" the Hatter shook her head, "And I would like to meet the woman that could get you to".

"Tell me about it, mate," Lance sighed.

"Oi!" Donna glared at them while the Hatter covered her laugh with a cough as the lift descended.

...

The lift stopped with a ping, opening the doors to show the lower basement. They all stepped out, into a long, dark, damp, corridor that was only just lit with green lights.

"Where are we?" Donna asked as she looked around the corridor, "Well, what goes on down here?"

"Let's find out..." the Doctor said.

"Do you think Mr. Clements knows about this place?" Donna wondered.

"The mysterious H.C Clements?" the Doctor said, "I think he's part of it," he looked down the right side of the corridor as something caught his eye, "Oh, look...transport!"

"Brillante," the Hatter laughed.

...

The Doctor, the Hatter, Lance, and Donna made their way down the corridor, each standing on the electric scooter, the Hatter on the back of the Doctor's trying very hard not to laugh. Donna looked around at them and didn't both trying to stop herself from laughing. The Doctor and the Hatter quickly joined in, though Lance didn't seem to see the humour.

They came to a door with the words 'Torchwood-Authorized personnel,' so, the Doctor being the Doctor completely ignored the sign and turned the wheel, opening the door to show a ladder leading up.

"Wait here," the Doctor said to the Hatter, Donna, and Lance as he started climbing, "Just need to get my bearings. Don't..." he looked back at them and pointed sternly "...do anything".

He went back to climbing up the ladder.

"You'd better come back!" Donna shouted up to him.

"I couldn't get rid of you if I tried," the Doctor called back to them.

"I wouldn't even bother," the Hatter smiled at Donna, "I'm always looking for new friends".

"Donna...have you thought about this?" Lance cut in as the Hatter watched the Doctor climb, "Properly? I mean, this is serious! What the hell are we gonna do?"

"Oh, I thought July," Donna smiled brightly at Lance not really listening to him.

A moment later Doctor climbed back down, "Thames flood barrier!" he jumped off the last rung of the ladder, putting his arm around the Hatter's shoulders, "Right on top of us. Torchwood snuck in and built this place underneath".

"You could have asked me," the Hatter shook her head, "I knew as soon as we got out of the lift".

"What, there's like a secret base hidden underneath a major London landmark?" Donna asked.

"I know!" the Doctor exclaimed in mock outrage, "Unheard of".

They turned and walked into a laboratory at the end of the corridor, filled with huge test tubes, bubbling, chemistry equipment set up around the room.

"Oh, look at this!" the Doctor cried looking around, amazed, "Stunning!"

"Why is it that when I walk into a lab I get chills?" the Hatter commented as she spotted something, "Particle extrusion. I'm almost impressed".

"What does it do?" Donna asked.

"Particle extrusion?" the Doctor followed the Hatter over to the bubbling tube, "Brilliant. They've been manufacturing Huon particles".

"In case our people got rid of Huons," the Hatter explained as she examined the tube closer, "I wasn't even born when they were destroyed. Shame to, I always wanted to do an experiment with them. Anyway back to the point they unravelled the atomic structure".

"Your people?" Lance frowned, "Who are they? What company do you represent?"

"Oh, we're freelancers," the Hatter shrugged as she moved out of the way so the Doctor could have a better look.

"This lot are rebuilding them," the Doctor said as he focused on the tube, "They've been using the river! Extruding them through a flat hydrogen base so they've got the end result, Huon particles in liquid form".

He picked up a small test tube with Huon particles.

"And that's what's inside me?" Donna frowned.

The Doctor twisted the knob at the top of the tube, making it and Donna glow.

"Oh, my God!" Donna gasped as she looked down at herself.

"Because the particles are inert," the Doctor said as he stared down at the tube, "They need something living to catalyse inside and that's you. Saturate the body and then...HA!" Donna and the Hatter jumped as the Doctor became just a little to other enthusiastic, "The wedding! Yes, you're getting married, that's it! Best day of your life, walking down the aisle, oh, your body's a battleground! There's a chemical war inside! Adrenaline, acetylcholine, WHAM go the endorphins, oh you're cooking! Yeah, you're like a walking oven! A pressure cooker, a microwave, all churning away, the particles reach boiling point, SHAZEM!"

It was no surprise to anyone but the Doctor when Donna and the Hatter slapped him.

"What did I do this time?" the Doctor demanded, indignantly as he tried to rub both his cheeks, "Hatter?"

"Word of advice, Doctor," the Hatter shook her head, "Most women don't like to be called, ovens, microwaves, pressure cookers. Not to mention having men say that there body's are like a battleground. Plus you made me jump".

"But I wasn't talking about you!" the Doctor exclaimed.

"I was just acting on the rights for all women," the Hatter shrugged before looking at him sternly, "Apologize".

The Doctor opened and closed his mouth a few times before turning to Donna, "Sorry, Donna".

"Are you enjoying this?" Donna demanded as she glared at him. The Doctor looked down, ashamed. Donna took a breath, "Right, just tell me, these particles, are they dangerous? Am I safe?"

"Yes!" the Doctor nodded, very unconvincingly as the Hatter looked at the floor.

"Doctor...Hatter...if your lot got rid of Huon particles...why did they do that?" Donna asked.

"Because they were deadly," the Hatter said gently looking up from the floor.

"Oh, my God..."

"We'll sort it Donna," the Hatter said giving Donna a hug, "I promise. Whatever's been done to you, we'll reverse it".

"We're not about to lose some else," the Doctor added as the Hatter stepped away from Donna.

Suddenly there was a series of crashes and bangs from all around them making the Doctor pull the Hatter behind him.

"Oh, she is long since lost," a voices from somewhere hissed.

One of the walls slid up to reveal a secret chamber with a huge hole in the middle of the floor, "I waited so long, hibernating at the edge of the Universe..." the Hatter noticed Lance's eyes widen in horror before running out of the room, "...until the secret heart was uncovered and called out to waken!"

The walls of the chamber were lined with armed robots dressed in black hoods.

The Doctor didn't seem to care in the slight as he peered down the hole, "Someone's been digging...oh, very Torchwood. Drilled by laser. How far does it go?"

"Center of the Earth is my guess," the Hatter commented as she peered down.

"Down and down," the unknown woman said.

"Really?" the Doctor asked, glancing at the Hatter, "Seriously? What for?"

"Dinosaurs," Donna suggested moving forward.

"What?" the Doctor asked.

"Dinosaurs?" Donna repented a little unsure as the Hatter tried not to smile.

"What are you on about, dinosaurs?"

"That film, 'Under the Earth,' with the dinosaurs," Donna said, "Trying to help!"

"That's not helping," the Doctor shook his head as the Hatter coved her laugh with a cough.

"Such a sweet couple," the woman's voices hissed. The Hatter didn't both to cover her laughter at seeing the Doctor and Donna look at each other and step away.

"Only a madman talks to thin air and trust me, you don't want to make me mad," the Doctor said loudly.

"A little later, Doctor," the Hatter smiled as he rolled his eyes.

"Where are you?" the Doctor said loudly as he shook his head at the Hatter.

"High in the sky, floating so high on Christmas Night," the voices hissed,

"We didn't come all this way to talk on the intercom!" the Doctor said loudly, "Come on; let's have a look at you!"

"Who are you with such command?"

"I'm the Doctor".

"Prepare your best medicines, doctor-man, for you will be sick at heart," the voices hissed moments before a large, woman with the body of a red spider but a woman's torso, with a large red head, and a number of eyes. It snarled and growled at them.

"The Racnoss..." the Hatter breathed as the Doctor stood in front of her, "But that's impossible, you're one of the Racnoss! And I mean Impossible!"

"Empress of the Racnoss," the Racnoss corrected.

"One of my pet hates right there," the Hatter muttered, "Bad guys that always correct people if someone dares to get there title wrong. Sounds like my parents...except for the bad guy part".

"If you're the Empress, where's the rest of the Racnoss?" the Doctor asked, giving the Hatter a look to shut up, "Or...are you the only one?"

"Such a sharp mind," the Racnoss hissed.

"That's it, the last of your kind".

"The Racnoss come from the Dark Times," the Hatter explained to Donna, "Billions of years ago, billions. They were carnivores, omnivores, they devoured whole planets".

"Racnoss are born starving, is that our fault?"

"They eat people?" Donna gasped.

"H.C Clements, did he wear those...those er, black and white shoes?" the Doctor asked Donna suddenly,

"He did!" Donna laughed, "We used to laugh, we used to call him the fat cat in spats".

The Doctor nodded and pointed up to the ceiling where a pair of black and white shoes were, tied into the web, still attached to H.C Clements.

"Oh, my God!" Donna gasped as the Hatter sighed sadly.

"Mm, my Christmas dinner," the Empress cackled.

"You shouldn't even exist!" the Doctor shouted at the Empress.

"Way back in history," the Hatter said to Donna, "The Fledgling Empires went to war against the Racnoss...they were wiped out".

Behind the empress Lance appeared on the balcony holding an axe. He motioned for them to be quite.

"Except for me," the Empress hissed.

"But that's what I've got inside me," Donna said loudly trying to distracted the Racnoss from Lance, "That Huon energy thing. Oi! Look at me, lady, I'm talking. Where do I fit in? How come I get all stacked up with these Huon particles?" Lance descended the stairs, "Look at me, you! Look me in the eye and tell me".

"The bride is so feisty!" the Empress remarked.

"Yes, I am!" Donna nodded as the Doctor and the Hatter watched as Lance approached the Racnoss, both exchanging a look with each other, "And I don't know what you are, you big...thing. But a spider's just a spider and an axe is an axe! Now, do it!"

Lance raised the axe and swung the axe just as the Empress turned.

And then he stopped, glancing over to Donna and started laughing, the Empress joining in as the Doctor and the Hatter exchanged looks, "That was a good one," Lance pointed at the Empress, "Your face!"

"Lance is funny," the Empress cackled.

"What?" Donna shook her head compliantly confused.

"I'm sorry," the Doctor said quietly to Donna.

"Sorry for what?" Donna frowned at him before turning back to Lance, "Lance, don't be stupid! Get her!"

"God, she's thick," Lance shook his head, almost looking at Donna in pity as the Hatter put her arm over Donna's shoulders, "Months I had to put up with her. Months. A woman who can't even point to Germany on a map".

"I don't understand," Donna whispered.

"How did you meet?" the Hatter asked, gently.

"In the office," Donna said.

"He made you coffee," the Hatter said, trying to make things easier.

"What?"

"Every day, I made you coffee," Lance said as if he was talking to a child.

"You had to be dosed with liquid particles over six months," the Doctor explained.

"He was poisoning me?" Donna gasped.

"It was all there in the job title," the Hatter sighed, glaring at Lance and the Racnoss, "The Head of Human Resources".

"This time, its personnel," Lance smirked as he and the Empress started laughing again.

"But..." Donna shook her head, still trying to understand, "We were getting married".

"Well, I couldn't risk you running off," Lancie shrugged, "I had to say yes. An then I was stuck with a woman who thinks the height of excitement is a new flavour Pringle. Oh, I had to sit there and listen to all that yap, yap, yap...'oh, Brad and Angelina, is Posh pregnant?' X factor, Atkins Diet, Feng Shui, split ends, text me, text me, text me, dear God, the never ending fountain of fat, stupid trivia".

Donna stared at Lance still not wanting to believe it.

"I deserve a medal," Lance finished.

"Oh, is that what she's offered you?" the Hatter glared at Lance, "The Empress of the Racnoss? What are you? Her consort?"

"It's better than a night with _her_".

"But I love you," Donna whispered.

"That's what made it easy," Lance shrugged as he looked at Donna nastily, "What's the point of it all if the human race is nothing? That's what the Empress can give me. The chance to...go out there. To see it. The size of it all. I think you understand that, don't you Doctor? Hatter?"

"Who is this little physician?" the Empress asked, "And his female?"

"What she said...Martian".

"Hey, I'm not his female," the Hatter shook her head but the Doctor talked over her.

"Oh, we're sort of...homeless," the Doctor said, surprised by what the Empress had just said about the Hatter being his female, "But the point is, what's down here? The Racnoss are extinct. What's gonna help you find four thousand miles down? That's just the molten core of the Earth, isn't it?"

"I think he wants us to talk," Lance commented to the Empress.

"I think so too," the Empress agreed, just as the Hatter carefully pulled the tube of Huon particles from the Doctor's pocket without being seen.

"Well, tough!" Lance said, "All we need is Donna!"

"Kill this chattering little doctor-man and his female too!"

"I'm not his female," the Hatter muttered as Donna stood in front of her and the Doctor.

"Don't you hurt them!" Donna shouted.

"No, no, it's alright," the Doctor said trying to calm Donna down as the Hatter held the tube behind her back.

"No, I won't let them!" Donna shook her head forcefully.

"At arms!" the Empress shouted as the robots aimed their guns at them.

"Hang on," the Hatter began, stepping in front of the Doctor so the Empress could see her, "You see..."

"Take aim!"

"I just want to point out the obvious..." the Hatter tried.

"They won't hit the bride," the Empress hissed, "They're such very good shots".

"Just...just...just...hold on, just a tick, just a tiny...just a little...tick," the Hatter cut in, holding her left hand up while her right stayed behind her back with the tube held in it, "If you think about it, the particles activate in Donna and drew her inside the Doctor's spaceship..."

"So, reverse it..." the Doctor added as the Hatter twisted the top of the tube as she brought her right hand from behind her back," the spaceship comes to her".

The particles started glowing in the tube and Donna just as the Empress shouted, "Fire!"

But it was too late; the TARDIS was already materializing around the Doctor, the Hatter, and Donna, leaving them safe inside.

"Well, that was different," the Hatter sighed, glancing over to Donna.

"Off we go!" the Doctor shouted as he raced up to the console.

"My key!" they could hear the Empress cry from outside as they started dematerializing, "My key!"

"Someone needs a teddy bear," the Hatter muttered to herself.

"Oh, you know what I said before about time machines?" the Doctor said to Donna as he piloted the TARDIS, "Well, I lied. And now we're gonna use it," Donna didn't say anything or even glance at the Hatter as she sat beside her on the console chair, "We need to find out what the Empress of the Racnoss is digging up," the Doctor continued as the Hatter put a comforting arm around Donna as the woman started to cry silently, "If something's buried at the planet core, it must've been there since the beginning. That's just brilliant. Molto Bene! I've always wanted to see this. Donna...we're going further back than I've ever been".

The Doctor looked up and watched as the Hatter tried to comfort Donna.

"Donna, please listen to me," the Hatter said softly, "Love, loss, heart break, happens to everyone. You could chuck a rock and it would hit someone who has gone though one of them if not all of them. It will get better but like all things it will take time. You will love again. It might seem like you never will but you will. Don't give up just because of this".

Donna sniffed, "You sound like you've had expressions".

"Not personally," the Hatter shook her head, "But I used to travel with a friend who had been completely in love with this woman who was also travelling with me at the time. Sadly he never realised that he loved her until she died. I guess that after watching him go through all of his pain I picked up a few things".

"We've arrived..." the Doctor said, clearing his throat and avoiding looking at the Hatter, "Want to see?"

"I s'pose," Donna sighed as the Hatter gave her an encouraging smile.

The Doctor swung the monitor around before frowning, "Oh, that scanner's a bit small. Maybe your way's best," he walked over to the door, "Come on".

Donna sighed as they followed after the Doctor, "No human's ever seen this," the Hatter smiled at Donna as they reached the doors, "You'll be the first. Oh, I can't wait to see your face".

"All I want to see is my bed," Donna muttered.

"Donna Noble...welcome to the creation of the Earth," the Doctor said before throwing open the doors, revealing a sight that made Donna's mouth fall open and the Hatter grin. They gazed out to see the Sun shining brightly, beautiful coloured dust with clouds of gas and huge rocks floating all around them.

"I always love this part," the Hatter smiled at Donna as she stared out, "We've gone back 4.6 billion years. There's no solar system, not yet. Only dust and rocks and gas".

"That's the Sun over there," the Doctor added as he pointed, "Brand new. Just beginning to burn".

"Where's the Earth?" Donna asked.

"All around us...in the dust," the Doctor said, gesturing out.

"Beautiful," the Hatter smiled, looking out as the Doctor put an arm over her shoulders.

"Puts the wedding in perspective," Donna shook her head, "Lance was right. We're just...tiny".

"No, but that's what you do," the Hatter shook her head with a smile still on her face, "The human race. Making sense out of chaos. Marking it out with weddings and Christmas and calendars. This whole process is beautiful, but only if it's being observed".

"So, I come out of all this?" Donna said as she began to smile.

"Isn't it brilliant?" the Doctor laughed as a massive rock floated passed them.

"I think that's the Isle of White," Donna remarked making them all laugh.

"Eventually, gravity takes hold," the Hatter explained, "One big rock, heavier than the others, starts to pull other rocks towards it".

"All the dust and gas and elements get pulled in," the Doctor said, "Everything, piling in until you get the..."

"Earth," Donna finished.

"But the question is...what was that first rock?" the Doctor asked, not really talking to anyone.

"Look," Donna pointed just as a star shaped rock appeared through the clouds.

"The Racnoss..." the Doctor and the Hatter breathed as the Doctor quickly rushed back up to the consol, turning the wheel frantically.

"Hold on...the Racnoss are hiding from the war!" the Doctor called back to them, "What's it doing?"

"Exactly what you said," Donna called back as she and the Hatter watched as rocks, particles of dust and gas started zooming past them, all towards the Racnoss ship as if it was magnetic.

"Brilliant," the Hatter sighed as she watched, "They didn't just bury something at the center of the Earth...they _become_ the center of the Earth. The very first rock".

The Doctor looked up just as the TARDIS started to violently shudder and shack, nearly sending Donna and the Hatter out into space. The Hatter quickly grabbed Donna's arm and slammed the door's closed.

"What was that?" Donna gasped as the Hatter ran up to the consol and started helping the Doctor.

"Trouble," the Doctor told her.

"What the hell's it doing?" Donna shouted as she tried to make her way over to the consol but the shacking was becoming worse.

"Remember the trick with the particles pulling particles," the Hatter called to her, "It works in reverse...they're pulling us back! I was worried this would happen!"

"Well, can't you stop it?" Donna frowned as the Doctor and the Hatter tried to pilot but it was out of control, "Hasn't it got a handbrake? Can't you reverse or warp or beam or something?"

"Backseat driving," the Doctor shook his head as the Hatter fought down the urge to laugh, "Oh! Wait a minute!" he pulled out a small surfboard like object from underneath the consol, "The extrapolator! Can't stop us, but it should give us a good bump!"

"Doctor, if you hit her...!" but she was cut off by the Doctor whacking the extrapolator with a mallet.

"Now!" the Doctor shouted as the TARDIS dematerialized from the pit chamber and into a corridor in the base.

"Oh, I hate you so much," the Hatter sighed, shaking her head.

"I love you to," the Doctor shot her a cheeky grin before he realised what he had just said but it didn't seem as if the Hatter noticed. From the corner of his eye he noticed Donna watching him with a knowing look, "Um, come on," he muttered as they walked outside.

"We're about 200 yards to the right," the Hatter said to Donna as the Doctor kicked himself for what he said.

"Come on!" he shouted trying to cover up before they ran down the corridor, stopping outside the doorway that lead up to the Thames Flood Barrier.

"But what do we do?" Donna asked.

The Doctor took his stethoscope from his pocket, pressing it to the door and listening, "I don't know! I make it up as I go along! But trust me, I've got a history".

"Best not to ask, Donna," the Hatter said, "He does love to brag".

"No I don't!" the Doctor shook his head as the Hatter rolled her eyes.

"But I still don't understand," Donna shook her head, "I'm full of particles...but what for?"

"There's a Racnoss web at the centre of the Earth," the Doctor told her talking quickly, "But our people unravelled their power source. The Huon particles ceased to exist but the Racnoss are stuck," the Doctor was so caught up in explaining that he didn't notice two robots coming up behind Donna and the Hatter, grabbing them and covering their mouths before dragging them backwards before they could fight back, "They've just been in hibernation for billions of years. Frozen. Dead. Kaput! So you're the new key. Brand new particles, living particles! They need to open it...and the two of you have never been so quite".

He turned and to his horror to find that both the Hatter and Donna missing, quickly closing his eyes and focusing on the Hatter's mind, "_Hatter!"_

"_Oh, hello," _the Hatter replied making the Doctor sigh in relief, _"Finely realised that were missing, have you?"_

"_Are you alright?"_ the Doctor asked, _"What about Donna?"_

"_Where brilliant,"_ the Hatter told him, _"But it would be nice of you to, oh I don't know, HURRY UP!"_

The Doctor winced at the last part, _"On my way"._

"_The Pit Chamber, Doctor,"_ the Hatter remained him as he opened his eyes again.

He took his sonic out and used it on the door only to come face to face with an armed robot. Sorry Hatter, he thought.

...

"I hate you," Donna spat at Lance as she, the Hatter, and Lance both hung from the ceiling by the Racnoss's webbing.

"Yeah, I think we've gone a bit beyond that now, sweetheart," Lance rolled his eyes.

"My golden couple," the Empress hissed almost sounding like she was smirking, "Together at last...your awful wedded life. Tell me, do you want to be released?"

"Yes!" both Lance and Donna shouted.

"I wouldn't mind," the Hatter called, hoping the Doctor would hurry up.

"You're supposed to say 'I do,'" the Empress laughed.

"Ha," Lance sneered at Donna, "No chance".

"Say it!" the Empress demanded.

Lance glanced at Donna and sighed, "I do".

"I do," Donna said quickly.

"If it helps?" the Hatter called, "I do to".

"I don't," the Empress cackled like a witch, "Activate the particles. Purge every last one!" Donna and Lance started glowing, "And release!" the particles flew away from Lance and Donna, flying down and into the pit, "The secret heart unlocks. And they will waken from their sleep ages".

"Who will?" Donna asked, glancing at the Hatter who sighed, "What's down there?"

"You really don't want to know," the Hatter shook her head.

"How thick are you?" Lance rolled his eyes at Donna again.

"My children, the long lost Racnoss," the Empress said, "Now will be born to feast on fleas!" From below them they could hear the sound of thousands of spiders, all approaching at an alarming pass, "The web-star shall come to me," the Empress ordered, "My babies will be hungry. They need sustenance. Perish the web".

"Use her!" Lance shouted as he struggled, "Not me! Use her!"

"Oh, my funny little Lance!" the Empress laughed, "But you are quite impolite to your lady friends. The Empress does not approve," the webbing around Lance loosened and fall down into the pit.

"Laaaaance!" Donna cried after him, horrified.

"You didn't have to kill him!" the Hatter shouted at the Empress.

"Harvest the humans!" the Empress ordered over the Hatter and Donna, "Reduce them to meat," the Hatter sighed when a robot walking up the stairs that ran up the side of the chamber court her eye, "My children are climbing towards me and none shall stop them!" the Empress hissed as she turned to the robot, "So you might as wall unmask, my clever little doctor-man".

"Oh well," the Doctor shrugged the cloak and masks off, "Nice try. I've got you!" he pointed the sonic up at the webbing holding the Hatter in place; "Bringing back any memoires, Hatter?" he called up to her.

"One or two," the Hatter called back, holding onto the webbing tightly just before it snapped. She swung through the air, laughing, as the Doctor reached out and tried to catch her only to end falling backwards onto the floor with the Hatter on top of him, "Sorry," she muttered as she quickly stood up.

"Were even," the Doctor said standing up and giving the Hatter a quick once over, "At least you didn't wind me like I did to you".

"Fatty," the Hatter joked before they turned back to Donna.

"Donna!" the Doctor aimed his sonic back at the webbing around Donna.

"I'm gonna fall!" Donna screamed.

"You're gonna swing!" the Doctor corrected, as Donna swung over the pit and towards them, holding onto the webbing, "I've got ya!" Donna screamed as she swung before she smashed into the brick wall underneath the Doctor and the Hatter with a dull thud, "...Oh. sorry".

The Doctor and the Hatter looked over the railing to see Donna sprawled out on her back below them, "Thanks...for nothing," she glared up at them.

"Well, that's something you don't see every day," the Hatter remarked.

"The doctor-man and his female amuse me," the Empress stated.

"Empress of the Racnoss," the Doctor called to her, "We give you one last chance. I can find you a planet. I can find you a place in the Universe to coexist. Take that offer and end this now".

"This man is so funny," the Empress laughed, "But I'm afraid I have to decline".

"What happens next is your own doing," the Doctor said.

"I'll show you what happens next," the Empress said, "At aims!" the robots raised their guns, "Take aim!" they aimed, "And..."

"Relax," the Doctor quietly said, the robots went limp.

"What did you do?" Donna shouted up to them as the Hatter looked at him trying to work out what he did.

"Guess what I've got, Donna?" the Doctor smirked down at her, pulling a remote control from his pocket, "Pockets!"

"Should have known," the Hater smiled as she shook her head.

"How did that fit in there?" Donna asked.

"They're bigger on the inside," the Doctor and the Hatter said in unison.

"Robo-forms are not necessary," the Empress cut in, "My children may feast on Martian flesh".

"Oh, but we're not from Mars," the Hatter said very serious.

"Then where?" the Empress asked, looking slightly worried now.

"Our home planet is far away and long since gone," the Doctor said looking deadly serious as the Hatter took his hand to try and calm him down, "But its name lives on. Gallifrey".

The Empress screeched, "They murdered the Racnoss!"

"I warned you," the Doctor said as he took handfuls of bubbles out of his pocket, "You did this".

He throw them into the air, some surrounding the Empress while the others smashed into the walls of the corridor making water from the Thames flow in. More baubles exploded, making fire spring up at the Empress as she wailed. Water started pouring into the chamber and into the pit.

"My children!" the Empress cried completely stricken.

The Hatter glanced at the Doctor's face to see him staring at everything in front of him, water pouring down his face as water swirled down the pit like a plughole.

"No!" the Empress cried, "My children! My children!"

"Doctor," the Hatter whispered in his ear, "Please, it's enough. I know what you're thinking but we have to get out of here".

The Doctor blinked and looked at her before looking down at Donna, "Come on. Time we got you out of here!"

He grabbed the Hatter's hand again and ran down the stairs to Donna who was running up to them all of them soaking wet.

"But what about the Empress?" Donna called to them as they ran down the corridor and started climbing the ladder from earlier.

"She's used up her Huon energy," the Hatter explained as she climbed, "She's defenceless!"

They reached the top of the ladder and climbed out, cheering in delight as they watched the Racnoss's ship destroyed.

"Just...there's one problem," Donna said as she tried to catch her breath.

"What's that?" the Doctor asked.

"We've drained the Thames," Donna said as they looked over to see that they had indeed drained the Thames. Not being able to stop themselves, they collapsed into a fit of laughter.

...

"There we go," the Doctor smiled as they stepped out of the TARDIS, parked outside Donn's house, "Told you she'd be alright. She can survive anything".

"A bit like her owner," the Hatter smiled as she pulled her soaking wet coat closer to herself.

"More than I've done," Donna remarked.

The Doctor took his sonic out and scanned Donna, "Nope! All the Huon particles have gone. No damage, you're fine".

"Yeah, but apart from that...I missed my wedding, lost my job, and becoming a widow on the same day. Sort of".

"We couldn't save him," the Hatter said sadly, "I'm sorry".

"He deserved it," Donna said without any feeling. The Doctor and the Hatter raised their eyebrows and Donna's face softened, "No, he didn't," she looked over to her house, "I'd better get inside. They'll be worried".

"Best Christmas present they could have," the Hatter smiled as she watched Donna's parents hug through the window, "Oh, no, I forgot...you hate Christmas".

"Yes, I do," Donna nodded.

The Doctor sent the Hatter a wink; "Even if it snows?" he reached up and tweaked a hidden switch in the TARDIS. A ball of light shot out of the top and into the sky making snow start to fall.

"I can't believe you did that!" Donna laughed in delight as the snow fall around them.

"It's just your basic atmospheric excitation," the Hatter shook her head at the Doctor, "In fact it's the one I made for his five-hundredth birthday when he complained about his old one being broken".

"Merry Christmas," Donna said after a moment with a smile.

"And you," the Hatter smiled, "So...what will you do with yourself now?"

"Not getting married for starters," Donna laughed, "And I'm not gonna temp anymore. I dunno...travel...see a bit more of planet Earth...walk in the dust. Just...go out there and do something".

"Well, you could always..." the Doctor trailed off, glancing at the Hatter who was nodding.

"What?" Donna frowned.

"...come with us," the Doctor finished.

"Please," the Hatter added.

Donna smiled, "No".

"Okay," the Doctor and the Hatter nodded, clearly disappointed.

"I can't..." Donna sighed.

"No, that's fine," the Hatter shook her head.

"No, but really...everything we did today...do you live your life like that?"

"Not all the time," the Doctor tried.

"I think you do," Donna shook her head, "And I couldn't".

"But you've seen it out there," the Hatter tired, cutting in, "It's beautiful, truly".

"And it's terrible," Donna shook her head again, "That place was flooding and burning and they were dying and you..." she looked at the Doctor, "Were stood there like...I don't know...a stranger," she turned to the Hatter, "And if you hadn't stopped him...I don't know what would have happened," she shook her head as the Doctor glanced at the Hatter, "And then you made it snow...I mean, you scare me to death!"

"Well then," the Doctor blinked after a moment.

"Tell you what I will do though...Christmas dinner," Donna smiled, "Oh, come on".

"I don't do that sort of thing..." the Doctor shook his head.

"You did last year, you said so".

"She has a point, Doctor," the Hatter said.

"And you might as well because Mum always cooks enough for twenty," Donna added.

The Doctor sighed, hesitating, "Oh, alright then. But you go first, better warn them. And...don't say we're Martians," he nodded back to the TARDIS, "We just have to park her properly," he gave the Hatter a pointed look at the next part, "Otherwise she might drift off to the Middle Ages".

"I have no idea what you are talking about, Doctor," the Hatter shook her head, turning back to Donna, "See you in a minute".

They turned back and walked into the TARDIS and started to dematerialize, "Doctor!" Donna shouted, "Hatter!"

The engines stopped and the Doctor and the Hatter popped their heads back out, "Blimey, you can shout," the Doctor muttered.

"Am I ever gonna see you again?" Donna asked.

"If we're lucky," the Doctor said as the Hatter smiled.

"Just...promise me one thing," Donna said, "Find someone. Because sometimes, I think you need someone to stop you and the Hatter won't always be able to do that by herself".

"Thanks Donna," the Hatter smiled.

"Yeah," the Doctor nodded, "Thank you, Donna".

"And just be...magnificent," the Hatter added giving Donna a quick hug before join the Doctor again.

Donna laughed and nodded, "I think I will, yeah," they smiled at her before closing the door only for Donna to call them back, "Doctor? Hatter?"

"Oh, what is it now?" the Doctor opened the door again looking exasperations.

"That friend of yours...what was her name?" Donna asked.

"Her name was Rose," the Doctor said after a moment before closing the door, but instead of dematerializing, the TARDIS shot up into the night sky with Donna watching sadly from below.

...

"I'm going to miss her," the Hatter said to the Doctor as they sat on a park bench, somewhere in London, "She remained me of my sixth self...without the red hair".

"It's not fair," the Doctor playfully glared at her, "You get to have red hair not once, not twice, but three times. I want to be ginger at least once".

The Hatter rolled her eyes, "Stop complaining, Doctor. It's Christmas".

"Which remainders me," the Doctor said reaching inside his coat and pulling out a small box, "I know you told me that it was mine but...".

The Hatter blinked and opened the box, gasping when she saw what was inside. A silver pendant necklace with Gallifreyan symbols that spelled, 'Lady Ariana, the Gifted,' and on the other side, 'Dame Hatter of the House of Blyledge'.

"Do you remember when you first gave me this?" the Doctor asked as the Hatter stared at the pendant, "It was moments before I left Gallifrey and you told me..."

"As long as you have this I will always be with you," the Hatter nodded just before she threw her arms around him and hugged him, "I completely forgot I ever gave you this".

The Doctor grinned as the Hatter pulled back and he helped her to put the pendant on, "Just like old times".

"Merry Christmas, Doctor," the Hatter grinned at him, kissing him on his cheek.

"Merry Christmas, Hatter".

_**I'm so sorry about the long wait but I got caught up in my other story with another OC in it (this one a Sherlock BBC) and school work, plus this chapter was harder to write then I thought it would be. There will be more explained about the Hatter's pendant later on and I now know when I want the Doctor and her to get together. Please review :)**_


	3. Chapter 3 Smith and Jones part 1

**Smith and Jones part 1**

"Now then, Mr. Smith, a very good mourning to you," Mr. Stoker (from what the name tag read) the supervisor doctor, greeted the Doctor as he was lying in bed with the Hatter sitting on the side of the bed before he turned to the Hatter, "I don't believe we have been introduced yet, I am dr. Stoker".

"Nice to meet you," the Hatter smiled, standing up from the bed and shook his hand, "Emmer Smith...well, Dr. Emmer Smith I guess you could say".

"She's my wife," the Doctor added giving the Hatter a smile as she tried not to roll her eyes, "Only got married last week and we end up spending part of the honeymoon here. I thought she was going to kill me bu..."

"Yes, lovely place France," the Hatter cut in giving the Doctor a look to shut up, "We must go back when you better, sweetie".

"A doctor of what, Miss Smith?" Mr. Stoker asked.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," the Hatter said seriously before smiling, "No I'm just joking, anything and everything you could say".

"Perhaps we could talk later about your field or fields?" Mr. Stoker said before turning to the Doctor, "How are you today?"

"Aw, not so bad, still a bit, you know," the Doctor pocked his tough out a bit, "Blah".

"Poor dear," the Hatter commuted trying not to smile as she took a seat on the chair beside his bed.

"John Smith, admitted yesterday with severe abdominal pains," Mr. Stoke told the group of medical students standing behind him, "Jones, why don't you see what you can find? Amaze me".

A young woman in a white lab coat stepped forward, taking a stethoscope from around her neck off, "That wasn't very clever, running around outside, was it?"

"Sorry?" both the Doctor and the Hatter frowned.

"On Chancery Street this morning," the woman with the name tag that read 'Martha Jones,' said, "You come up to me and took your tie off," she then turned to the Hatter, "And you took a yo-yo out and started doing tricks with it".

"Really?" the Doctor asked, glancing at the Hatter, "What did we do that for?"

"I don't know, you just did".

"Not us," the Doctor shook his head, "I was here, in bed. Ask the nurses".

"I was here all morning because someone didn't want to be stuck with out anything to do," the Hatter added, giving the Doctor another look.

"Well, that's weird, 'cos it looked like you," Martha frowned, "Have you got a brother or...?" she looked at the Hatter, "sister?"

"No, not anymore," the Doctor said.

"I didn't get along with my sister," the Hatter sighed.

"As time passes and I grow ever more infirm and weary, Miss Jones," Mr. Stoker cut in making the Doctor, the Hatter, and Martha look up.

"Sorry," Martha nodded; "Right..." she put the stethoscope on the right side of the Doctor's chest, looking slightly puzzled before moving it to the right side. Her eyes widened as she listened before she glanced up to the Doctor who winked at her.

"I weep for further generations," Stoke sighed, "Are you having trouble locating the heart, Miss Jones?"

"Um," Martha blinked, "I don't know...stomach cramps?"

"That is a symptom, not a diagnosis," Mr Stocker corrected, "And you rather failed basic techniques by not consulting first with the patient's chart," he picked up the chart only to snap his hand back after receiving a small shock.

"That happened to me this morning," Martha said.

"I had the same thing on the door handle," one of the male students remarked.

"And me, on the lift," another student added, a young woman this time.

"That's only to be expected," Stoker explained, "There's a thunderstorm moving in and lighting is a form of static electricity, as was first proven by...anyone?"

"Benjamin Franklin," the Doctor and the Hatter said in unison.

"Correct!"

"My mate Ben, that was a day and a half," the Doctor nodded, "I got rope burns off that kite, and then I got soaked..."

"I told you to put on that rain coat and gloves," the Hatter shook her head.

"Quite..." Mr Stoker trailed off, eyeing the Doctor and the Hatter.

"...and then I got electrocuted!"

"Scaring me half to death," the Hatter glared at the Doctor.

"Moving on," Mr Stoker said loudly, turning and walking away with the students following, "I think perhaps a visit from psychiatric," he whispered to one of the students before walking to another bed, "And next we have..."

The Doctor and the Hatter watched as they walked off before turning to each other and grinning, "Now look what you did," the Hatter shook her head, "Now they think were both crazy".

"At least were crazy together, _dear_," the Doctor grinned.

"Shut up," the Hatter said, picking up his robe hanging over the chair and chucked it at him, "Put it on, _sweetie_, I think it's time we have a look around, don't you?"

"Anything for you, _my love_".

...

The Doctor and the Hatter had just finished investigating one of the floors and were half way back to the Doctor's bed when the whole building started shacking violently, sending them both to the floor, a bright light flashed through the windows and the shacking quickly stopped.

"Hatter, are you alright?" the Doctor quickly asked as he helped her up from the floor.

"Fine," the Hatter brushed her clothes down and fixed her scarf but stopped as she court a glimpse of outside the window, "Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore".

The Doctor looked at her puzzled, wondering if she had hit her head for a moment before following her gaze outside, finding that they were looking out onto the surface of the moon, Earth just in the distance.

"To bad you can't click your heels and return us to Earth," the Doctor muttered before grabbing the Hatter's arm and dragging her down the corridor. They ran back to the ward that the Doctor had been in early, people everywhere were panicking.

"Were did you put that bag with my suit in it?" the Doctor asked as the Hatter.

"All right, everyone back to bed, we've got an emergency but we'll sort it out" Martha Jones told the patients as she walked into the ward, not noticing the Doctor and the Hatter watching her before the Hatter closed the curtain around the bed.

"Here," the Hatter quickly grabbed the bag from behind the chair and passed it to the Doctor, "I'm sick of seeing you in brown so don't complain about the colour".

"It's real," they head Martha say to her friend, "It's really real. Hold on!"

"Brilliant," the Doctor grinned as he pulled his new blue suit out before he started pulling his clothes off making the Hatter turn bright red, "I like blue".

"Did you have to?" the Hatter shook her head and she turned away, "You could have at least told me to turn away".

"It's not like we've never seen each other get change before," the Doctor said.

"We were drunk and not to mention still in school," the Hatter sighed as she continued to blush, "And I thought we said that we would never speak of that...night".

"Don't!" the young woman from earlier cried from outside the curtain, "We'll lose all the air!"

"I did have a hangover when we said that," the Doctor remained her as she turned back around to find him fully dressed, "How do I look?"

"Blue suites you," the Hatter commented.

"But they're not exactly air tight," Martha pointed out, "If the air was going to get sucked out it would have happened straight away, but it didn't. So how come?"

The Hatter raised her eyebrows, impressed as the Doctor pulled the curtain back, "Very good point!"

"Brilliant, in fact," the Hatter nodded, giving Martha a smile.

"What was your name?" the Doctor asked.

"Martha".

"And it was Jones, wasn't it?" the Doctor asked as Martha nodded, "Well then, Martha Jones, the question is, how are we still breathing?"

"We can't be!" the woman beside Martha cried.

"Stop and think," the Hatter told her gently, "You just need to calm down and think of something else, panicking is only going to make things worse".

The Doctor turned back to Martha, "Is there a balcony on this floor, or a veranda, or..."

"By the patients' lounge, yeah," Martha nodded.

"Fancy going out?" the Doctor asked.

"Okay".

"We might die".

"We might not".

"I'm impressed," the Hatter remarked, "And that doesn't happen often".

"Good," the Doctor nodded, "Well c'mon!" he started walking off, glancing at the other woman, "Not her, she'd hold us up".

The woman gave a sob as Martha and the Doctor walked past her," Sorry," the Hatter said as she followed after them as Martha lead them to a set of closed, glass doors that lead out to the patients' lounge. The Doctor and Martha pushed the doors open and stepped out onto the balcony.

"We've got air!" Martha gasped, "How does that work?"

"Just be glade it does," the Hatter said as she leant over the ledge and examined something.

"I've got a party tonight," Martha said after a moment, "It's my brother's 21st. My mother's going to be really...really..."

"You okay?" the Doctor asked.

"Yeah," Martha nodded, giving herself a small shack.

"Sure?" the Hatter asked.

"Yeah".

"Want to go back in?" the Doctor asked.

"No way," Martha shook her head, "I mean, we could die any minute, but all the same...it's beautiful".

"You think?"

"How many people want to go to the moon? And here we are!"

"Standing in the Earthlight," the Hatter remarked.

"What do you think happened?" Martha asked them.

"What do _you _think?" the Doctor questioned.

"Extraterrestrials," Martha said firmly, "It's got to be. I don't know, a few years ago that would have sounded mad, but these days? That spaceship flying into Big Ben, Christmas, those Cybermen things. I had a cousin. Adeola. She worked at Canary Wharf. She never came home".

"I'm sorry," the Doctor and the Hatter said.

"Yeah".

"We were there," the Doctor said, "In the battle".

"I promise you, Mr. Smith, Mrs. Smith, we will find a way out," Martha said firmly, "If we travelled to the moon, then we can travel back. There's got to be a way".

"It's not Smith, that's not our real names," the Hatter corrected.

"Who are you, then?" Martha asked as she eyed them.

"Well, I'm the Hatter," the Hatter said before frowning slightly, "Or Dr. Hatter, back at home I was called Professor Hatter of course but the Hatter is my proper name. I don't like titles, never have, hopefully never will".

"And I'm the Doctor".

"Me too, if I pass my exams," Martha said, "What is it, then, Hatter smith? Doctor Smith?"

"Just the Doctor and the Hatter," the Doctor corrected.

"How do you mean, just the Doctor and the Hatter?"

"Just...the Doctor and the Hatter".

"What, people call you 'the Doctor?'" Martha frowned at the Doctor.

"Yeah".

"Well, I'm not," Martha shook her head, "As far as I'm concerned, you've got to earn that title".

"Well, I'd better make a start, then," the Doctor said as the Hatter passed him a small rock that she had picked up while they had been talking, "Let's have a look," he tossed it and it hit an invisible wall.

"I thought so," the Hatter nodded, "Some sort of force field keeping the air in. Who made it is a little harder to tell".

"If that's like a bubble sealing us in, that means this is the only air we've got," Martha frowned, "What happens when it runs out?"

"How many people in this hospital?" the Doctor asked.

"I don't know, a thousand?"

"One thousand people," the Hatter sighed, "Suffocating".

"Why would anyone do that?" Martha gasped.

"Heads up!" the Doctor said as a spaceships started landing on the surface of the moon, "Ask them yourself".

"Aliens," Martha breathed, "That's aliens. Real, proper aliens".

"Judoon," the Doctor and the Hatter nodded.

...

The Doctor, the Hatter, and Martha crouched by a group of potted plants on the second floor of the hospital, looking down into the reception area. Judoon were filling in, people ran and tried to hide, gasping when the chief Judoon removed his helmet to reveal what to the humans looked like a rhinoceros, "Bo sco fo do no kro blo co sho ro!"

The Hatter put a hand on Martha's shoulder when one of the students from earlier stepped forward, "We are citizens of planet Earth," he told the Judoon, "We welcome you in peace..." the Judoon pushed him against the wall and shown a blue light in his face, "Please don't hurt me, I was trying to help, I'm sorry, don't hurt me, please don't hurt me".

The Judoon pulled the light away, playing his words back before putting the device in a small compartment on his collar, "Language assimilated. Designation Earth English. You will be catalogued," he shined the blue light in the man's face again before drawing a black cross on the back of his hand, "Category: human. Catalogue all suspects".

"Oh, look down there, you've got a little shop," the Doctor grinned as the Judoon started going around the room and shining the blue lights into other people before marking their hands like the other man, "I like a little shop".

"I thought you didn't like hospitals in general," the Hatter remarked, "Not after almost being killed and being forced into regeneration".

"Never mind that!" Martha hissed, "What are Judoon?"

"Galactic police," the Doctor said, "Well, police for hire".

"More like interplanetary thugs," the Hatter added.

"And they brought us to the moon?" Martha asked frowning as they watched the Judoon below.

"Neutral territory," the Hatter explained, "According to galactic law, they've got no jurisdiction over Earth, so they isolated us. That rain? Lightning? That was them, using an H2O scoop".

"What's that about 'galactic law?'" Martha asked as she eyed them, "Where'd you get that from? If they're police, are we under arrest? Are we trespassing on the moon or something?"

"No," the Doctor laughed a little as the Hatter smiled, "But I like that. Good thinking. No, it's more simple. They're making a catalogue; it means they're after something non-human, which is very bad news for us".

"Why?" the Doctor and the Hatter looked at her, "Oh, you're kidding me..." they raised there eyebrows at her, "Don't be ridiculous. Stop looking at me like that".

"Come on," the Doctor said as he pulled the Hatter away, leaving Martha to stare at the place that they had just left before shacking herself and rushing after them.

_**I know it's a little shorter than normal but I really wanted to post this. Sorry about not updating sooner but I really needed to update another story that hadn't been updated in three months going onto four. Did anyone get the hint that I dropped earlier between the Doctor and the Hatter? Tell me what you thought, please review :)**_


	4. Chapter 4 Smith and Jones part 2

_**Smith and Jones part 2**_

The Doctor and the Hatter sat in front of a computer with the Doctor's sonic, examining it as the Hatter tried to hack in just as Martha ran in, "They've reached the third floor," she glanced at the sonic, "What's that thing?"

"Sonic screwdriver," the Doctor and the Hatter said without looking up from their work.

"Well, if you're not going to answer me properly!"

"No, really, it is," the Doctor turned around and held it up, "It's a screwdriver, and it's sonic. Look".

"What else have you got?" Martha asked sarcastically, "A laser spanner?"

"He did," the Hatter remarked still typing, "I made it for him and what does he do? Loses it".

"I told you it was stolen by Emily Pankhurst, cheeky woman..." he suddenly hit the computer screen making Martha jump and the Hatter hit him on his arm without thinking about it, "Oh, this computer! The Judoon must have locked it down".

"Give me five minutes and we'll be in," the Hatter said as she moved closer to the computer, "It would have been sooner but I'm a little out of practise when it comes to taking down Judoon firewalls".

"Five minutes?" the Doctor raised his eyebrows, "Usually it only takes you a minute if that".

"I don't complain to you when you leave the brakes on-" the Hatter started to say but was cut off by the Doctor.

"Yes you do!"

"Shut up, I'm trying to focus," the Hatter said after a moment that she realised that no matter what she said she wouldn't win.

"You're both completely insane," Martha shook her head at them.

"Judoon platoon upon the moon," the Doctor mumbled, running a hand over his face as he watched the Hatter work, "We were just travelling past, I swear, we were just wandering, we weren't looking for trouble".

"For once," the Hatter cut in.

"Hatter," the Doctor shook his head, "We weren't, but the Hatter notices these plasma coils around the hospital, and that lightning, that's plasma coils, been building up for two days now, so we checked in, thought something was going on inside, it turns out the plasma coils were the Judoon up above".

"But what were they looking for?" Martha asked.

"Something that looks human, but isn't," the Doctor sighed.

"Like you two," Martha said, "Apparently".

"Like us," the Hatter agreed before adding, "But not us".

"Haven't they got a photo?"

"Might be a shape-changer," the Doctor shook his head.

"Whatever it is, can't you just leave the Judoon to find it?" Martha asked them.

"If they declare hospital guilty of harbouring a fugitive, they'll sentence it to execution," the Hatter sighed.

"All of us?" Martha gasped horrified.

"Oh yes," the Doctor nodded, "If we can find this thing first..."

"Oh!" the Hatter shouted, glaring at the computer screen that was now red and black, "This isn't over Judoon!"

"What is it?" the Doctor asked quickly leaning over to look at the screen.

"They've only gone and wiped the records," the Hatter glared at the screen for a moment before she started typing again.

"Oh, that's clever," the Doctor said and the Hatter nodded.

"No need to tell me".

"What are we looking for?" Martha asked.

"Not sure yet," the Hatter said, "Any patient admitted in the past week with unusual symptoms," she picked the screen up and started scanning it with her own sonic, "Maybe there's a back up".

"Just keep working," Martha said, "I'll go ask Mr Stoker, he might know".

"Be careful!" the Doctor and the Hatter called after her as she rushed out of the room.

...

The Doctor and the Hatter stepped out into the hallway just as Martha ran into the Doctor.

"We restored the back up," the Hatter said brightly.

"The Hatter was the one that did all the work," the Doctor added making the Hatter roll her eyes.

"I found her," Martha gasped.

"You did what?" the Doctor asked, his eyes widening as a man in a black, leather biker outfit that looked like a Slab to the Hatter smashed a door, running after them.

"Never mind that," the Hatter shook her head, grabbing the Doctor's hand as he did the same to Martha, "Run!"

They ran down the hall, down a flight of stairs before being forced to run a different way so not to be court by the Judoon who were making their own way upstairs. They ran through a doorway and onto the fourth floor with the Slab still in pursuit, skidding around corners and into the radiology room.

The Doctor slammed the door shut before the Slab reached them, quickly sonic the door's lock and turning to Martha and the Hatter, "When I say 'now', press the button".

"But I don't know which one!" Martha shook her head as she ran into the operator's room off to the side.

"Hatter!" the Doctor said as he rushed over to the machine and started sonic it as the Hatter rushed over to Martha who was going through a manual.

"Don't worry, Martha," the Hatter said as she gestured to a button in front of herself and Martha, "Word of advice: when in doubt just hit the biggest button in the room".

"Now!" the Doctor suddenly shouted just as the Slab broke through the door.

Martha slammed her hand down onto the button the Hatter had gestured to and watched as the Doctor and the Slab were flooded with radiation making the room light up. After a moment the Slab collapsed.

"What did you do?" Martha asked as the Hatter walked over to the Doctor.

"Increased the radiation by 5000 percent," the Doctor shrugged, "Killed him dead".

"Is there any other way of being dead?" the Hatter said.

"Isn't that likely to kill you?" Martha frowned, looking at the Doctor slightly concerned.

"Nah, it's only radiation," the Doctor waved her off, "We used to play with roentgen bricks in the nursery".

"You did you mean," the Hatter cut in, "My parent's forced me to sit in my room all day and read, do a simple experiment, read a bit more, do a harder experiment, go to a boring dinner party and start all over again. That was my childhood. The funniest thing that I ever got to do was have my mother tell me a bedtime story or my uncle visit and have him tell me a story from a fare off world," she frowned, "But that also meant that I had to put up with my jealouscousins. Anyway, Doctor I think you were explaining something to Martha".

"Oh, right," the Doctor shook himself and turned back to Martha, "It's safe for you to come out, I've absorbed it all. All I need to do is expel it," he started hopping up and down in one place, "If I concentrate I can shake the radiation out of my body and into one spot. It's in my left shoe. Here we go, here we go, easy does it..." he shook his foot and the Hatter couldn't stop herself from laughing at the sight before her, "Out, out, out, out, out. Out, out, ah, ah, ah, ah. It is...it is...it is...it is...it is HOT. Ah, hold on," he grabbed his foot and tore his shoe off and tossed into a bin, "Done".

"You're completely mad," Martha shook her head.

"Your right, I look daft with one shoe," the Doctor took his other shoe off and tossed that one also in the bin, "Barefoot on the moon!"

"Maybe I should have listened to my parent's when they said that you were insane," the Hatter remarked making the Doctor grin at her.

"What did you say to that?"

"Oh, you know the usually," the Hatter shrugged, starting to grin herself, "I did have a bet of a temper after I left school".

"More like dewing school," the Doctor shook his head.

"So, what is this thing?" Martha asked, pointing at the Slab on the floor, "And where's from? The planet Zovirax?"

"It's a Slab," the Hatter said, kneeling beside it, "There called 'Slabs'".

"Basic slave drones, see?" the Doctor explained, kneeling beside the Hatter, "Solid leather, all the way through. Someone has got one hell of a fetish".

"Yes, thank you for those thought," the Hatter said dryly.

"It came with that woman, Mrs Finnegan," Martha frowned, "It was working for her. Just like a servant".

"My sonic screwdriver," the Doctor groaned as he pulled the remains of it out of the x-ray machine, half it burnt and blacken.

"She was one of the patients, but..." Martha was saying but the Doctor wasn't listening.

"Don't worry, Doctor," the Hatter patted his arm as she half listened to Martha and tried to comfort the Doctor, "You can make a new one. Even one that might work on wood".

"My sonic screwdriver!"

"She had a straw like some sort of vampire," Martha said.

"I like vampire stories," the Hatter remarked, "Not Twilight of course. Vampires that sparkle in the sun, I mean...seriously?"

"I loved my sonic screwdriver!"

"Doctor!" Martha shouted making the Hatter jump.

"Sorry," the Doctor said, tossing his once beloved sonic over his shoulder and smiled at Martha, "You called me 'Doctor'".

"Not really the point, Doctor," the Hatter cut in, "She was trying to explain to you about a patina that she thinks might be the alien".

"Mrs. Finnegan is the alien," Martha nodded, "She was drinking Mr Stoker's blood".

"Funny time to take a snack," the Doctor remarked as the Hatter gasped, "You'd think she'd be in hiding unless...no..."

"Unless she wasn't just a shape-changer but an _internal _shape-changer," the Hatter nodded, face palming herself, "Oh, I'm so stupid!"

"She wasn't drinking blood, she was assimilating it!" the Doctor cried, "If she can assimilate Mr Stokers blood, mimic the morphology, she can register as human. We've got to find her and show the Judoon!"

"Well, what are we waiting for?" the Hatter shook her head and rushed out of the door, "Come on!"

...

The Doctor, Martha, and the Hatter watched as a second Slab walked past them while they hid behind a water cooler.

"That's the thing about Slabs," the Doctor said, tickling the Hatter's neck with his breath, "They always travel in pairs".

"What about the two of you?" Martha asked them.

"What about us?" the Hatter asked.

"Haven't you got backup or something?" Martha asked making the Hatter and the Doctor glance at each other, "I mean is the Hatter your only partner..."

"Uh," the Doctor groaned, "Humans. We're stuck on the moon running out of air with Judoon and a bloodsucking cranial, you're asking personal questions. Come on".

"I like that," Martha said as the Doctor and the Hatter stood, "'Humans'. I'm still not convinced you're aliens".

No sooner had Martha said this then a Judoon was to hold a scanner at the Doctor's face who hadn't seen the Judoon, "Non-human".

"Brilliant," the Hatter muttered to herself.

"Oh my God, you really are!" Martha gasped.

"And again!" the Doctor grabbed the Hatter and Martha's hands, racing back down the hallway, ducking as the Judoon started shooting at them. They ran up stairs, locking the door behind them before running into a corridor where people were either collapsing on already on the floor, all gasping for air.

"They've done this floor," the Hatter said, "The Judoon are logical and just a bit thick. They won't go back and check a floor they've already checked. If we're lucky".

"How much oxygen is there?" they heard Martha say from behind them as she knelt beside the medical student that had been panicking earlier but this time she seemed to be a little calmer as she gave a patient oxygen.

"Not enough for all these people," the woman said, "We're going to run out".

"What about you, Martha?" the Hatter asked over her should as she checked a woman who had just slid down the wall, frowning as she checked the woman's vitals, "Are you alright?"

"Running on adrenaline," Martha said.

"Welcome to our world," the Doctor said, glancing over to the Hatter, "Are you alright?"

"Respiratory bypass system," the Hatter replied as she stood, "And anyway it's not me who we should be worried about. This woman is already showing signs of oxygen starvation and I don't doubt that half the people in this place are also suffering the same thing".

"What about the Judoon?" Martha asked.

"Ah, great big lung reserves, it won't slow them down," the Doctor shook his head, "Where's Mr. Stoker's office?"

"It's this way," Martha said leading them down the hallway and into the same room that the first Slab had came from only this time it was empty, "She's gone! She was here".

"I remember being told this story," the Hatter sighed as she knelt down next to the body of Mr. Stoker behind his desk, "When I first arrived here in about a year's time, thinking that I'm a human I was told all about this. Of course I didn't believe a thing of it but..."

"Hmm," the Doctor nodded as the Hatter stood, "Drained him dry. Every last drop. She's a plasmavore".

"I was really hoping we would be wrong," the Hatter sighed.

"What was she doing on Earth?" Martha frowned.

"Hiding," the Hatter said, "On the run. That would explain why the Judoon are after her".

"Like Ronadl Biggs in Rio de Janeiro," the Doctor added, "What's she doing now? She's still not safe. The Judoon could execute us all. Come on".

"Wait a minute," Martha said as she knelt next to Stoker and closed his eyes before tuning and walking out of the office with the Doctor and the Hatter following.

"Think, think, think," the Doctor said to himself as they stepped out into the hall, "If I was a plasmavore surrounded by police, what would I do?" the Hatter pointed to the MRI sign, "Ah. She's as clever as you..." the Hatter rolled her eyes as he smiled at her, "Almost".

"I wish you would stop doing that," the Hatter shook her head.

"Find the non-human!" a Judoon ordered from the over end of the hall, "Execute".

The Doctor turned to Martha, "Stay here. We need time. You're going to have to hold them up".

"How do I do that?" Martha frowned, glancing at the approaching Judoon.

"Martha, forgive me for this," the Doctor said to her, "It's to save a thousand lives, it means _nothing_," his eyes seemed to flicker towards the Hatter for a moment, "Honestly, _nothing_," he met the Hatter's eyes again before grabbing Martha's face and kissing her quickly before grabbing the Hatter's hand and running down the corridor leaving a very stunned Martha behind.

"That was nothing?" Martha breathed, not realising that the Hatter had heard with her Time Lady hearing.

"You just can't help yours self when it comes to making trouble," the Hatter shook her head as they ran, "I just hope she doesn't fall to hard".

"What?" the Doctor asked.

"Never mind".

...

The Doctor and the Hatter made their way to the MRI room where the machine was making as sound when they entered that made the Hatter force a gasp down. The woman that Martha had told them about, Mrs. Finnegan was behind the controls while the MRI scanner crackled with energy.

"_Doctor, she's accelerated the monogenetic pulse to a lethal percentage,"_ the Hatter told the Doctor telepathically, _"If she pushes the wrong button she could not just the moon up but half the earth!"_

The Doctor gave her hand a squizzes to show that he understood before taking on a shocked and slightly out of breath expression as the Hatter made herself look terrified and clutched the Doctor's arm tightly.

"Have you seen...there are these things, those great big space rhino things," the Doctor cried breathlessly as the Hatter pretend to sob, "I mean rhinos from space. And we're on the moon. Great big space ship rhinos with guns on the moon. And I only came in for my bunions," he showed her his feet, "They're alright now, perfectly good treatment, I said to my wife," he put an arm around the Hatter, "'Emma, darling, I'd recommend this place to anyone,' but then we end up on the moon. And did I mention the rhinos?"

"Hold him!" the woman shouted at the Slab who grabbed the Doctor who tried to push the Hatter behind his back but the Hatter knew that he would try to protect her ducked away and grabbed hold of the Slabs arm only for the Slab to push her with so much force that she smashed into the wall, hitting her head and collapsing to the floor, unconscious.

The Doctor struggled and fought to check to see if she was alright but the Slabs grip was too tight. Cursing in high Gallifreyan the Doctor was forced to give up struggling and to just look from where he was.

The Hatter looked as if she had just been knocked out. He couldn't see any blood but there was some faint bruising already forming on her temple. The Doctor swallowed and looked back at Mrs Finnegan still trying to keep his temper under control, "That thing, that big machine thing, is it supposed to be making that noise?"

"You wouldn't understand," Finnegan waved him off.

"Isn't that a magnetic resonance imaging thing?" the Doctor asked, acting as if he didn't know what was going on, "Like a ginormous sort of a magnet? I did magnets at GCSE. Well, failed, the wife past, but all the same".

"The magnetic setting is not set to 50,000 Tesla," Finnegan said smugly.

"Ooh," the Doctor nodded, "That's a bit strong, isn't it?"

"I can send out a magnetic pulse that will fry the brainstems of every living thing within 250,000 miles. Except me, safe in this room".

"But...hold on, hold on, I did geography for GCSE, I did pass that one, doesn't that distance include the Earth?"

"Only the side facing the moon," Finnegan said, "The other half will survive. Call it my little gift".

"I'm sorry, you'll have to forgive me, I'm a little out of my depth," the Doctor shook his head, "I've spent the past fifteen years working as a postmen, hence the bunions...why would you do that?"

"With everyone dead, the Judoon ships will be mine, to make an escape".

"Now, that's weird," the Doctor said, "You're talking like you're some sort of an alien".

"Right-o".

"No!" the Doctor gasped.

"Oh, yes".

"You're joshing me".

"I am not".

"I'm talking to an alien? In hospital? What, has this place got a E.T department?"

"It's the perfect hiding place," Finnegan shrugged, "Blood banks downstairs for a midnight feast, and all this equipment I'm ready to arm myself should the police come looking".

"So, those rhinos, they're looking for you?"

"Yes," she held up her hand to show a black cross on it, "But I'm hidden".

"Oh," the Doctor said, "Right! Maybe that's why they're increasing the scans".

"They're doing what?" Finnegan shrieked.

"Big chef rhino boy, he said, no sign of a non-human, we must increase our scans...up to setting two?"

"Then I must assimilate again".

"What does that mean?"

"I must appear to be human".

"Well, you're welcome to come home, my wife, she could show you the wedding snaps. She'd be honoured. We can have cake. She makes the best cakes".

"Why should I have cake?" Finnegan asked as she searched through her purse before pulling out a straw, "I've got my little straw".

"That's nice," the Doctor eyed the straw, "Milkshake? I like Banana, the wife's a strawberry fan".

"You're quite the funny man," Mrs. Finnegan remarked as she moved closer to the Doctor, "And yet, I think, laughing on purpose at the darkness. I think it's time you found some peace," she looked at the Slab, "Steady him!"

"What are you doing?" the Doctor asked as the Slab grip tightened as Mrs. Finnegan moved closer with her straw at the ready.

"I'm afraid this is going to hurt," Finnegan said, "But if it's any consolation, the dead don't tend to remember".

...

The Hatter groaned and rolled onto her side, wincing as the side of her head gave a nasty throb. She opened her eyes and almost wished she was still unconscious at the sight.

Mrs. Finnegan seemed to have a straw in the Doctor's throat, drinking his blood. No wonder he looked so pale. Behind him was the Slab holding his arms and head to the side.

Just as the Hatter was about to try and sit up the doors burst open and Martha entered with the Judoon following.

"Now see what you've done," Finnegan jumped away from the Doctor who fell to the floor like a rag doll, "This poor man just died of fright".

"Scan him!" the chef Judoon ordered, flashing his scanner at the Doctor, "Confirmation: deceased".

The Hatter tried to talk but couldn't. She couldn't even sit up properly.

"No, he can't be," Martha cried as she struggled to get through the Judoon, "Let me through, let me see him".

"Stop," the Judoon put a hand on Martha's shoulder to stop her from getting any closer, "Case closed".

"But it was her," Martha argued, "She killed him. She did it. She murdered him".

"The Judoon have no authority over human crime".

"But she's not human," Martha said.

"Oh, but I am," Finnegan held her hand up, "I've been catalogued".

"But she's not!" Martha exclaimed, "She assimil...wait a minute. You drank his blood. The Doctor's blood!" she reached over and grabbed one of the Judoon's scanners and scanned Finnegan.

"Oh, alright," Finnegan laughed, "Scan all you like".

The scanner start giving off a high pitched sound making the Hatter smile as she attempted to sit up, "Non-human," the chef Judoon said.

"What?" Finnegan demanded, losing her smile and her eye's winding.

"Confirm analysis".

"Oh, but it's a mistake surely. I'm human. I'm as human as they come".

"He gave his life so they'd find you," Martha said, looking at the Doctor sadly.

"Confirmed: Plasmavore," the Judoon scanned Finnegan, "I charge you with the crime of murdering the princess of Patrival Regency Nine".

"Oh," the Hatter muttered to herself, "I liked her".

"She deserved it!" Finnegan shrieked, "Those pink cheeks and those blond curls and that simpering voices. She was begging for the bite of a plasmavore".

"Do you confess?" the Judoon asked.

"Confess? I'm proud of it! Slab...stop them!"

The Slab moved forward but the Judoon fired, disintegrating it, "Verdict: guilty. Sentence: execution".

"Enjoy your victory, Judoon," Finnegan shouted at them, "Because you're going to burn with me. Burn in hell!" the Judoon raised there guns at her and disintegrated her as she screamed.

Martha run over to the Hatter and helped her over to the Doctor even though the Hatter had been trying to get to the scanner controls.

"Case closed," the Judoon said.

"What did she mean, 'burn with me?'" Martha asked them, "The scanner shouldn't be doing that. She's done something".

"Scans detect lethal acceleration of monomagnetic pulse".

"Well, do something!" Martha exclaimed, "Stop it!"

"Our jurisdiction has ended," the chef said, "Judoon will evacuate".

"You can't just leave it," Martha shook her head as the Hatter sighed, "What's it going to do?"

"You really don't want to know," the Hatter sighed.

"All units withdrew," the chef ordered.

The Judoon turned and walked out with Martha following. The Hatter glanced at the machine already knowing that she wouldn't make it over there without help so she turned back to the Doctor and started CPR only to stop at a sharp pain in her temple. She must have hit her head harder then she thought.

Martha run back into the room, "Martha, CPR," the Hatter said as she tried to blink black spots away from her eyes, "I would but..."

"Right," Martha nodded as she started, "One, two, three, four, five," she gave him a breath as the Hatter slowly slipped to the floor, "One, two, three, four, five," another breath before she realised what she had to do, "Two hearts! One, two, three, four, five," she worked on his left side, "One, two, three, four, five," she took one last breath of air and gave it to him. A moment later he opened his eyes and started coughing, his eyes red as Martha fell to the floor, "The scanner...she did something..."

The Doctor glanced at Martha and at the Hatter who made a vague gesturer to the scanner as he coughed. He crawled over to the controls and unplugged the red plug and leaned back against the wall, coughing before going over to the Hatter and picking her up. He glanced at Martha worriedly before staggering out of the room and down the hall to a set of windows.

"Come on, come on, come on, come on, Judoon reverse it," the Doctor muttered just as it started to rain, he grinned and looked down at the Hatter, "It's raining on the moon, Hatter".

"That's not something you see every day," the Hatter mumbled not opening her eyes.

Making the Doctor blinked having not realized that she had been awake, "How long have you been awake for?"

"Ever scenas you picked me up just before," the Hatter said still not opening her eyes, "Did I mention that my heads killing me and how much I dislike you for almost getting yourself killed?"

Before the Doctor could answer there was a bright white light and everything went back to the way it was supposed to.

...

"Would you stop it, Doctor?" the Hatter winced for the seventh time in five minutes. After they had arrived back on Earth and waved to Martha before going back to the TARDIS the Doctor had told the Hatter that if she didn't let him examine her head he wouldn't go back and pick Martha up for a trip or two.

"I have to make sure," the Doctor shook his head as he flashed a bright light in her eyes.

"I'm fine," the Hatter sighed, slipping of the bed before the Doctor could stop her and walking past him to the console room, "I promise. Besides I didn't hit my head that hard".

The Doctor gave her a look at this as they started work on the controls, "I was there and I heard your head hit the wall".

"Well, maybe I just have a hard head like someone else in this room," the Hatter joked as they landed, "Coming?"

The Doctor shook his head and followed after her as they stepped out into a alleyway. They could hear shouting from the other end so they followed the sound to find a blond woman and an older woman who looked simular to Martha auguring in the middle of the street. They could see Martha standing next to two other people who the Doctor and the Hatter guessed where her brother and sister.

"I am not prepared to be insulted!" the blond woman shouted at an older man who could only be Martha's father.

"She didn't mean it, sweetheart," the older man said, "She just said you look health".

"No, I didn't," Mrs. Jones shook her head, "I said orange".

The Hatter couldn't stop herself from laughing at this point.

"Clive, that woman is disrespecting me," the blond said sounding childish to the Hatter which didn't help with stopping herself from laughing, "She's never liked me".

"Somehow I think she has a good reason for that," the Hatter whispered to the Doctor who nodded.

"Oh, I can't think why, after you stole my husband," Martha's mother said making the Doctor and the Hatter high five at being right.

"I was seduced," the blond said making the Hatter roll her eyes.

"Yeah, and I'm sure his money had nothing to do with it," the Hatter whispered, "Typical".

"I'm entirely innocent! Tell her, Clive!"

"And then she has a go at Martha, practically accused her of making the whole thing up," Martha's mother glared at the other woman.

"Mum, I don't mind," Martha sighed, "Just leave it".

"Oh," the blond scoffed, "'I've been to the moon!' as if. They were drugged. It said so on the news".

"Since when did you watch the news?" Martha's mother rolled her eyes, "You can't handle 'Quiz Mania'".

Martha's sister turned to Martha, "Annalise started it. She did. I heard her".

"Tish, don't make it worse," Martha's brother sighed.

"Come off it, Leo," Tish frowned at him, "What did she buy you, soap? Seventy-five pence soap".

"Oh, I'm never talking to you family again!" Annalise shouted, storming off.

"Oh, stay!" Martha's mother called after her, "Have a night out!"

"Don't you dare," Clive called after Annalise, "I'm putting my foot down. This is me, putting my foot down!" not that, that worked with him running off after her.

"Dad!" Leo called after him.

"Make a fool of yourself!" Martha's mother shouted after them, "God knows, you've been doing it for the last 25 years! Why stop now?"

"I wish my family had been like this," the Hatter laughed quietly.

"Your father's temper was more than enough," the Doctor remarked, remembering all of the times he was yelled at by him for leading his youngest daughter astray. Not to mention when they were both sent to his office because of getting in trouble in class or something.

"You never did get along with my father, did you?" the Hatter laughed again, "Good times".

"I wouldn't call them 'good times'," the Doctor muttered.

"Mum, don't" Tish called after her mother who had stormed off, leaving Martha along, "I asked the DJ and he's playing that song later..."

Martha shook her head but stopped when she noticed the Doctor and the Hatter standing at the corner of the alleyway just across the street. They smiled at her and turned back into the alley. Martha quickly flowed after them and found them leaning against the blue box that she had seen earlier.

"I went to the moon today," Martha said.

"A bit more peaceful than down here," the Doctor laughed and the Hatter smiled.

"You never told me who you are," Martha remained them.

"The Doctor and the Hatter," the Hatter shrugged.

"What sort of species?" Martha asked, "It's not every day I get to ask that".

"We're Time Lords," the Hatter said, "But I prefer Time Lady".

"Right!" Martha laughed, "Not pompous at all, then".

"We just thought, since you saved my life," the Doctor said, "And I've got a brand new sonic screwdriver which needs road testing, you might fancy a trip?"

"What, into space?" Martha asked.

"Well..."

"I can't," Martha shook her head, "I've got exams. I've got things to do. I have to go into town first thing the rent; I've got my family going mad..."

"If it helps, we can travel in time, as well," the Hatter cut in.

"Get out of here".

"We can," the Doctor nodded.

"Come on now, that's going too far," Martha shook her head.

"Well prove it," the Doctor said going back into the TARDIS with the Hatter following giving Martha a small grin and wave as she did so.

...

The Doctor and the Hatter peeked around the corner of an alleyway just as they spotted Martha talking to someone on her phone on her way to work.

They looked at each other before running over to her and stopping her in her tracks.

"Like so!" the Doctor smiled as he pulled his tie off, "See?"

Remembering what Martha had said earlier about the Hatter playing with her Yo-yo, she took it out and started doing few tricks with it before she and the Doctor ran back to the alley, disappearing from sight.

Martha stared after them before shaking her head and continuing on her way to work.

...

They landed the TARDIS in the same spot that they had before and stepped out to see a shocked Martha, "Told you!" the Doctor said still holding his tie as the Hatter stepped out with her yo-yo still in hand.

"I know, but..." Martha shook her head as the Doctor started fixing his tie, "That was this mourning! But...did you...oh, my God! You can travel in time!" the Hatter grinned and started helping the Doctor put his tie on, "But hold on, if you could see me this morning, why didn't you tell me not to go in to work?"

"Crossing into established events is strictly forbidden," the Hatter said.

"Except for cheap tricks," the Doctor added.

"My entire family would have been appalled," the Hatter sighed.

"And that's your spaceship?" Martha asked.

"It's called the TARDIS," the Doctor explained, "Time and Relative Dimension in Space".

"Your spaceship's made of wood," Martha remarked as she touched the side of it, "There's not room. We'd be a bit intimate".

The Doctor and the Hatter pushed the door open, "Take a look," they said in unison.

Martha stepped inside, the Doctor and the Hatter followed and leant against the railing next to the door as Martha took everything in.

"Oh, no, no," Martha shook her head and ran our side, "But it's just a box!" she started running around the outside of it, "But it's huge. How does it do that? Its wood!" she knocked on the side, "It's like a box with that room just rammed in," she stepped back in.

"It's bigger on the inside," the Doctor and the Hatter mouthed along with Martha.

"Is it?" the Doctor asked, "I hadn't noticed," he shut the door and tossed his coat along with the Hatter's onto the Y-beam, "Alright, then, let's go".

"Hang on, I just want to check something," the Hatter said before stepping back outside and walking into the middle of the street. Nothing different from a normal street but there was still that odd feeling of missing something.

And just like last time, the Hatter felt something, something that she couldn't feel unless...no. shaking her head, the Hatter took one more glance around the street before returning back to the TARDIS were the Doctor was at the controls and Martha was beside him.

"You're the one who kissed me," Martha said in a teasing tone.

"That was a genetic transfer," the Doctor said firmly.

"And if you will wear a tight suit..." Martha carried on much to the Hatter's amusement.

"Now...don't," the Doctor said as the Hatter started helping him with the console.

"And then travel all the way across the Universe just to ask me a date..."

"Stop it," the Doctor snapped, staring Martha down.

"For the record?" Martha said, "I'm not remotely interested. I only go for humans".

"Good," the Doctor said as the Hatter shook her head at how obvious it was that Martha had feelings for the Doctor, "Well, then. Close down the gravitic anomalizer..."

"Fire up the old helmic regulator," the Hatter flicked a switch.

"And finally...the hand brake," the Doctor grabbed the lever and looked at Martha, "Ready?"

"No," Martha shook her head but she was still smiling.

"Off we go!" the Doctor pulled the lever making the TARDIS jolt and shack and the Hatter to fall over.

"Blimey, it's a bit bumpy!" Martha exclaimed over the shacking.

"Welcome aboard, Martha Jones," the Hatter called over to her as she managed to stand.

"It's my pleasure, Hatter," Martha grinned.

_**I'm sorry about not updating sooner but I'm sick at the moment and it's the last week of school before the holidays so I will hopeful have more time to write. I hope you liked it, please review :)**_


	5. Chapter 5 The Shakespeare Code part 1

_**The Shakespeare Code part 1**_

The Doctor turned the wheel on the consol of the TARIDS while Martha held onto the consol to keep herself steady as the TARDIS and the Hatter helped the Doctor to drive.

"But how do you travel in time?" Martha asked, "What makes it go?"

"Oh, let's take the fun and mystery out of everything," the Doctor shook his head, "Martha, you don't wanna know. It just does. Hold on tight!"

The Doctor started too climbed over the consol, getting a look from the Hatter as he did and flicked a switch that the Hatter couldn't reach because she was working on the other side. Hitting the switch coursed them all to fall to the floor as they landed.

"Oh, I hate you sometimes, Doctor," the Hatter grounded as she stood; brushing her clothes down, giving the Doctor another look as she did so.

"Blimey!" Martha exclaimed as she stood, "Do you have to pass a test to fly this thing?"

"Yes and he failed," the Hatter smiled, "Twice if I remember correctly".

"I'm not that BAD!" the Doctor cried.

"Sorry sweetie but you are," the Hatter smiled as she pulled her coat back on, "It's always hard to hear the truth".

The Doctor shook his head at her but couldn't stop himself from smiling as he tossed Martha her jacket, "Now, make the most of it! I promised you one trip and one trip only..."

"We heard you the first time, Doctor," the Hatter sighed.

"Alright, fine," the Doctor said, "Outside this door..." he stopped at the door and looked at Martha, "Brave new world".

"Where are we?" Martha asked, almost bouncing from excitement.

"Take a look," the Doctor pushed the door open, "After you".

Martha walked outside and found herself standing in a Elizabethan street at night, people dressed in old clothing, walking around, chatting, just living there lives, "Oh, you are kidding me. You are _so_ kidding me. Oh, my God! We did it. We travelled in time. Where are we? No, sorry. I gotta get used to this whole new language. _When_ are we?"

The Doctor looked up and grabbed the Hatter and Martha, pulling them back just as a man dumped the contents of his loo out of his window, "Mind the loo!" he called down to them.

"Somewhere before the invention of the toilet," the Doctor remarked as the Hatter grimaced, "Sorry about that".

"I've seen worse," Martha waved it off, "I've worked the late night shift at A&E. But are we safe? I mean, can we move around and stuff?"

"Of course we can," the Doctor nodded as they started walking, "Why do you ask?"

"It's like in the films," Martha explained, "You step on a butterfly, you change the future of the human race".

"Well, don't step on any butterflies," the Hatter smiled, "What did butterflies ever do to you?"

"What if, I dunno, what if I...kill my grandfather?"

"You planning to?" the Doctor asked.

"No".

"Well, then".

"This is London".

"I think so..." the Doctor said looking around, "Hatter?"

"Yep," the Hatter nodded, taking a deep breath, "About 1599. Good year".

"Oh, but hold on," Martha frowned, "Am I alright? I'm not gonna get carted off as a slave, am I?"

"Why would they do that?" the Doctor frowned.

"Not exactly white, in case you haven't noticed".

"We wouldn't let them," the Hatter reassured her.

The Doctor nodded, "Besides, we're not even human. Just walk around like you own the place. Works for us".

"And you'd be surprised," the Hatter added, "Elizabethan England isn't so different from your time. Look over there," she pointed to man shovelling manure, "They've got recycling".

"Water cooler moment," the Doctor pointed to two men talking over a barrel of water.

"...and the world will be consumed by flame!" a preacher shouted as they walked past.

"Global warming," the Doctor said making the preacher give them a puzzled looks that made the Hatter cover her laugh with a cough, "Oh, yes, and...entertainment! Popular entertainment for the masses. If I'm right, we're just down the river by Southwark right next to..." he pulled the Hatter around the corner making Martha run after them before stopping at the sight of the stunning theatre, "Oh, yes, the Globe Theatre! Brand new. Just opened. Though, strictly speaking, it's not a globe..."

"It's a tetradecagon," the Hatter cut in, "One of my favourite shapes with 14 sides," she suddenly grinned and turned to Martha, "Oh, you're going to love this bit. The man himself is in there".

"Whoa, you don't mean...is Shakespeare in there?" Martha's eyes widened.

"Oh, yes," the Doctor grinned, holding his arm out in front of Martha, "Miss Jones, will you accompany me to the theatre?"

Martha linked her arm with his, "Yes, Mr. Smith, I will".

The Doctor held his other arm out to the Hatter, "And will you, Dame Hatter of the house of Blyledge also accompany us?"

The Hatter rolled her eyes before taking her hat off and dramatically bowing, "How could I ever refuse Lord Doctor of the House of Lungbarrow?" she took his arm as they started walking again.

"When you get home, you can tell everyone you've seen Shakespeare!" the Doctor said cheerfully to Martha.

"Then I could get sectioned!" Martha laughed.

...

"That's amazing!" Martha breathed as they stood in the middle of the crowed in the Globe, everyone applauding and cheering as the actors on the stage took their final bows, "Just amazing. It's worth putting up with the smell. And those are men dressed as women, yeah?"

"London never changes," the Doctor remarked making the Hatter laugh as she remembered what happened to Donna when she tried to get a taxi's.

"Where's Shakespeare?" Martha asked looking around the stage, "I wanna see Shakespeare," she raised her fist and started chanting, "Author! Author!" the Doctor and the Hatter looked at her, "Do people shout that? Do they shout 'Author?'"

A man behind them started chanting and it quickly spread.

"They do now," the Hatter laughed.

It wasn't long before the man himself, Shakespeare, strutted onto the stage, blowing kisses to the crowed and much to the Doctor's annoyances one at the Hatter. The crowd went wild, cheering and scramming.

"He's a bit different from his portraits," Martha remarked as she clapped.

"Genius," the Doctor nodded as he tried to get over his feelings towards the man for sending a kiss the Hatter's way, "He's a genius, THE genius. The most human human that's ever been. Now we're gonna hear him speak. Always, he chooses the best words. New beautiful, brilliant words".

"Shut your big fat mouths!" Shakespeare shouted to the crowed, earning a laugh.

The Hatter glanced at the Doctor's face and cracked up laughing, giving him a pat on his arm.

"Oh, well," the Doctor sighed.

"You should never meet your heroes," Martha smiled at him.

"I agree," the Hatter nodded.

"You have excellent taste!" Shakespeare continued, "I'll give you that," he pointed at someone in the front row, "Oh, that's a wig! I know what you're saying. 'Love's Labor's lost, that's a funny ending, isn't it? It just stops! Will the boys get the girls?' Well, don't get your hose in a tangle, you'll find out soon. Yeah, yeah. All in good time. You don't rush a genius," he suddenly did an odd jerk upright from his bowel making the Hatter narrow her eyes, "When? Tomorrow night," the crowd cheered, not noticing the looks on the actors faces, "The premiere of my brand new play. A sequel, no less, and I call it 'Loves Labor's Won!'"

The audience cheered and clapped as the Hatter and the Doctor exchanged concerned looks.

...

"I'm not an expert," Martha said as they walked out of the theatre, "But I've never heard of 'Loves Labor's Won'".

"Most haven't," the Hatter said sounding thoughtful, "It's a lost play. It doesn't exist, only in rumours. It's mentioned in the lists of his plays but never turns up. No one knows why. Professes all over the world have spent their life trying to find out why but never have".

"Have you got a mini-desk or something?" Martha asked, "We could tape it. We could flog it. Sell it when we get home and make a mint".

"No," the Doctor and the Hatter said.

"That would be bad?" Martha said.

"Yeah," the Doctor nodded, "Yeah".

"Well, how come it disappeared in the first place?"

"Well..." the Doctor said, glancing at the Hatter who was making a begging motion with her hands, "I was just gonna give you a quick trip in the TARDIS but I suppose...we could stay a_ bit_ longer".

The Hatter grinned and hugged him, "You have no idea how long I've wanted to work this mystery out," she let go and started walking off, "Come on you two".

...

It wasn't before they found the Elephant Inn that they had been told that Shakespeare was staying in. As they reached the top step into the Inn they could hear Shakespeare talking to someone.

"I've just got the final scene to go," he was saying, "You'll get it by morning".

"Hello!" the Doctor knocked on the open door with the Hatter and Martha standing behind him, "Excuse us! We're not interrupting, are we? Mr. Shakespeare, isn't it?"

"Oh no, no, no, no," Shakespeare groaned as they stepped into the room, "Who let you in? No autographs. No, you can't have yourself sketched with me. And please don't ask where I got my ideas from. Thanks for the interested. Now be a good boy and shove..." he trailed off as he spotted the Hatter and Martha just behind the Doctor, "Hey, nonny nonny," he breathed making the Hatter blush, she couldn't remember the last time someone flirted with her, "Sit right down here next to me," he glanced to two actors from earlier, sitting beside him, "You two get sewing on them costumes. Off you go".

"Come on, lads," a blonde woman, the innkeeper said, "I think our William's found his new muse".

"Sweet ladies," Shakespeare smiled as Martha and the Hatter sat across the table from him, "Such unusual clothes," his eyes travelled over them, the Doctor fought down the urge to grab the Hatter and pull her back to the TARDIS, "So...fitted".

"Um, verily, forsooth, egads," Martha tried.

"No, no, don't do that," the Doctor whispered to her, "Don't," he turned back to Shakespeare and held up his psychic paper, "I'm Sir Doctor of TARDIS, this is Dame Hatter of Blyledge, and our companion, Miss Martha Jones".

"Interesting, that bit of paper," Shakespeare remarked, eyeing it, "It's blank".

"Oh, that's...very clever," the Doctor nodded, exchanging an impressed look with the Hatter, "That proves it. Absolute genius".

"No, it says so right there," Martha frowned, taking the paper, "Sir Doctor, Dame Hatter, and Martha Jones. It says so".

"And I say it's blank".

"Psychic paper," the Hatter explained as the Doctor put it away, "It's a long story. I'll explain it later".

"Psychic," Shakespeare said thoughtfully, "Never heard that before and words are my trade. Who are you exactly? More's to the point, who is your delicious blackamoor Lady?"

"What did you say?" Martha asked, slightly offended.

"Oops," Shakespeare said, "Isn't that a word we use nowadays? An Ethiop girl? A swarth? A Queen of Afric..."

"I can't believe I'm hearing this," Martha shook her head.

"Its political correctness gone made," the Doctor said and the Hatter nodded.

"Martha's from a far-off land," the Hatter said, "Ar..."

"Freedonia," the Doctor finished making the Hatter look at him.

"Really, Doctor?" the Hatter whispered to him, "Couldn't you think of anything better?"

"You couldn't either," the Doctor shrugged.

"Excuse me!" an older man stormed into the room, "Hold hard a moment. This is abominable behaviour. A new play with no warning? I demanded to see a script, Mr. Shakespeare. As Master of the Revels, every new script must be registered at me office and examined by me before it can be performed".

"Tomorrow morning, first thing, I'll send it 'round," Shakespeare sighed.

"I don't work to your schedule, you work to mine. The script, now!"

"I can't".

"Then tomorrow's performance is cancelled".

"It's all go, 'round here, isn't it?" Martha remarked.

"Most bars are," the Hatter said.

"I'm returning to my office for a banning order. If it's the last thing I do, 'Love's Labor's Won' will never be played".

And with that, he stormed out just like he had when he arrived.

"Well, then..." Martha said after a moment, "Mystery solved. That's 'Love's Labor's Won' over and done with. Thought it might be more, you know...more mysterious".

The Hatter face palmed and groaned, "Every time. Every signal time. Martha, rule number...let's call it rule number four: you never say 'what's the worst thing that could happen?' you just don't say it because something bad always happens".

Before Martha could answer they heard screaming coming from the street. They quickly stood and ran outside to see the man from moments ago stumbling around, spitting water or some sort of clear liquid from his mouth.

"It's that bloke!" Martha gasped.

"What's wrong with him?" the Doctor shook his head, "Leave it to me...I'm a doctor!"

"So am I, near enough," Martha said as she ran after the Doctor and the Hatter as the man collapsed to the ground. The Doctor ran down the Street to look around while the Hatter and Martha knelt beside the man, Martha listening to his heartbeat and breathing as the Hatter went through all of her medical knowledge to try and work out what was happing, "Gotta get the heart going," Martha muttered, "C'mon, can you hear me? You're gonna be alright..." she moved to started mouth-to-mouth only for water to start gushing out of his mouth, "What the hell is that?"

"Doctor!" the Hatter shouted making him run back over, "I don't know about you but I've never seen a death like this. His lungs are full of water...somehow he drowned on dry land, and then...a blow to the heart, an invisible blow".

The Doctor looked at her and was startled to see how worried and fearful she was. It had always been a thing with the Hatter to become fearful when she didn't understand something. It didn't show often but when it did you knew how worried she really was. Her entire life she had spent trying to learn as much as she could and for her not to understand something was rare.

The Doctor gave her hand a quick squizzes before turning to the innkeeper, "Good mistress, this poor fellow has died from a sudden imbalance of the humors. A natural, if unfortunate, demines. Call the constable and have him taken away".

"Yes, sir," she nodded and turned to walk off.

"I'll do it, ma'am," a young girl with brown hair stepped forwarded before returning to the inn, the Doctor noticed that the Hatter's eyes followed her.

"And why are you telling them that?" Martha hissed to the Doctor as he knelt back down beside the Hatter.

"This lot still have got one foot in the Dark Ages," the Doctor said, "If we tell them the truth, they'll panic and think it was witchcraft".

"Okay, what was it then?" Martha asked.

"Witchcraft".

...

"I got you a room, Sir Doctor," the innkeeper said as they stood in Shakespeare's room, "Miss. Jones," she turned and gave the Hatter a respectful nod, making the Hatter want to kill the Doctor for telling them her title, "My lady, it's just across the landing".

The Doctor nodded his thanks to her while the Hatter smiled politely as the woman left.

"Poor Lynley," Shakespeare remarked from his seat, "So many strange events. Not least of all, this land of Freedonia where a woman can be a doctor?"

"Where a woman can do what she likes," Martha corrected.

"And you, Dame Hatter," Shakespeare turned to the Hatter, "You're eye's, are so full of intelligence, wisdom, and understanding but yet, underneath, so much sorrow and pain. Not to mention a woman of many abilities. How could a lady of such a young age have so much sorrow?"

"There's an old saying from my home," the Hatter said after a moment, "Never judge a book by its cover. I'm really not as young as I may appear, nor do I believe that I'm that intelligent".

"And you, Sir Doctor," Shakespeare turned to him, "How can a man so young have eyes so old?"

"I do a lot of reading".

"A trite reply. Yeah, that's what I'd do," he looked at Martha, "You, you look at them like at them like you're surprised they exist. They're as much of a puzzle to you as they are to me".

"I think we should say good night," Martha said before leaving.

"I must work," Shakespeare said after a moment, "I have a play to complete. But I'll get my answers tomorrow, Doctor, My Lady, and I'll discover more about you and why this constant performance of yours".

"All the world's a stage," the Doctor said from the doorway making the Hatter hit his arm.

"Hm, I might use that," Shakespeare nodded, "Good night, Doctor, my Lady Hatter".

"Night-night, Shakespeare," the Doctor said, taking the Hatter's hand and walking away.

...

When the Doctor and the Hatter entered there room for the night, Martha was already examining the small space that only had a small desk and one bed.

"It's not exactly five-star, is it?" Martha said to them.

"It's not that bad," the Hatter shrugged, patting the bed to feel how soft it was, "We've been in worse. Haven't we Doctor?"

"Like the time we went camping at School," the Doctor winced at that memory, "We hadn't talked with each other for a month because..." he glanced at the Hatter who blushed and looked away, "Well, something happen one night...anyway. Four people stuck in the middle of a forest, forced to use only things that human's in the 21 century would be able to use was harder than you would think".

"It would have been fun if we had been talking," the Hatter added, "Anyway half way to the camp sight, the Doctor drops the map without anyone realising it. About an hour later we start to notice that the trees look thicker than before so we go to get the map out, you can guess what happen then. We all ended up shouting at each other before I came up with the idea to set up camp there and try finding our way back in the morning".

"And to make things worse, half way through the night the camp fire we had made ends up setting fire to the tent we were all shearing," the Doctor shook his head, "We all woke up and tried to put the flames out but by that time it was already too late".

"More arguing," the Hatter sighed, "So that night we ended up sleeping on the forest floor with only two blankets and two pillows between us. I'm sure you can imagine how sore our necks and back were in the morning. The next day we manage to back track and somehow end up finding the map again. Fifteen minutes later we make it to the camp. Only fifteen minutes. The Doctor and I were so relived were decided to stop being so childish and went back to the way we were before we got into the...fight".

"That was the worst month of my life," the Doctor sighed, shaking his head.

"What about your teachers?" Martha frowned, "Didn't they try to find you?"

"Of course they did," the Hatter shook her head and rolled her eyes at the same time, "They couldn't have the youngest daughter of the Lord Chancellor go missing when she was in there care, could they now? Not to mention 'The Gifted One'".

"The Gifted what?" Martha shook her head.

The Hatter sighed, "I'll explain it to you later".

Martha nodded and looked at the Doctor, "I bet you guys had toothbrushes at least".

"Ooh..." the Doctor started patting down his jacket before pulling out a yellow brush, "Contains Venusian spearmint".

"Very refreshing," the Hatter added, "Not to mention it's brilliant at keeping your teeth white".

"So, who's going where?" Martha asked, gesturing to the bed, "I mean, there's only one bed".

"We'll mange," the Doctor flopped onto the bed, almost sending the Hatter onto the floor.

"Doctor, I've known you pretty much my entire life but we only just meet Martha," the Hatter remained him, "And I don't think she would be to comfortably shearing a bed with the two of us".

"I don't mind," Martha said, eyeing the Doctor slightly but only the Hatter noticed, "So, magic and stuff. That's a surprise. It's a little bit 'Harry Potter'".

"Wait till you read book seven," the Doctor said looking at Martha, "Oh, I cried".

"I was sobbing for days," the Hatter nodded, "Brilliant. Just...brillante".

"I was a little taken aback by the name...'Ariana,'" the Doctor gave the Hatter a pointed look at this, "Anything to say, Hatter?"

The Hatter coughed and avoided the Doctor's eyes, "Well, Mrs. Rowling was having trouble thinking of names...so I might have given her a few and she picked that one. It was years ago for me, anyway," she frowned, "Actually I think I still have her first write out of the book"

"But is it real, though?" Martha asked, getting them back to the point, "I mean, witches, black magic, and all that, it's real?"

"'Course it isn't!" the Doctor shook his head.

"Well, how am I supposed to know? I've only _just _started believing in time travel. Give me a break".

"Yes Doctor," the Hatter frowned at him as she laid beside him, "Stop being so hard on her".

"Looks like witchcraft, but it isn't," the Doctor went on, "Can't be," he looked at Martha, "Are you gonna stand there all night?"

"Budge up a bit, then," Martha walked over to the bed and sat at the end as the Doctor and the Hatter shifted, "Sorry, there's not much room".

"There's such a thing as psychic energy but a human couldn't channel it like that," the Doctor said thoughtfully but slightly distracted by how close the Hatter was with her head almost on his chest, "Not without a generator the size of Taunton and I think we would have spotted that," he glanced over the Hatter's head to look at Martha, "No. There's something we're missing, Martha," Martha laid down and looked at them, "Something really close, staring me right in the face and I can't see it. Rose would know. A friend of mine, Rose. Right now, she'd say exactly the right thing..." he sighed and looked back up to the ceiling, "Still can't be helped. You're a novice, never mind".

"Don't be so tough, Doctor," the Hatter said sternly, "I happen to think that Martha is doing extremely well for her first trip and it's always good to have a fresh set of eyes".

"Hmm," the Doctor said, glancing back to Martha, "Still. I'll take you home tomorrow".

"Great," Martha frowned, rolling on to her side and blowing the candle out as the Hatter hit the Doctor with her hat.

...

The Hatter opened her eyes and was surprised to find her head on the Doctor's chest while he absently mildly stroked her hair as he looked at the ceiling.

"Why aren't you asleep?" the Hatter whispered so not to wake Martha.

The Doctor blinked and looked down at her, "I could ask you the same thing".

"I wasn't really tired to begin with," the Hatter gave a small shrug, "You still didn't answer my question".

"I lost track of time," he said before mental kicking himself when he realised that she wouldn't believe that for a moment.

"You're a Time Lord, Doctor," she remained him, giving him a look, "We don't lose track of time. Not when you can feel it. Now why are you avoiding my question?"

"Do I have to have a reason?"

"Yes. If you don't tell me why then I will tell Martha the story about you tripping down the stair case at school and falling on top of the girl that had a crush on you. I still can't believe she almost kissed you".

The Doctor shrived, "Thank Rassilon for my reflexes. One second later and she would have been making out with me in front of half the school," he glanced down the Hatter who was trying to stop herself from laughing, "And you were no help standing there and laughing".

"I wasn't going to get in the way of a girl with a crush," she shook her head, "Besides, half the school already thought we were dating and I wasn't going to stop someone from kissing you, I didn't think it would have helped with people thinking were dating when were weren't".

"You didn't have to laugh," the Doctor said just before there was a scream. They jumped out of bed, the Hatter grabbing her hat as she did, Martha stumbled after them. They ran down the hallway and into Shakespeare's room where he woke, "Wha...what was that?"

The Doctor and the Hatter crouched down by the innkeeper's body that was on the floor as Martha went to the window. The Hatter did a quick examined and meet the Doctor's and shook her head.

"Her heart gave out," the Hatter sighed, "She died of fright".

"Doctor?" Martha called over her shoulder.

"What did you see?" the Doctor and the Hatter rushed to the window.

"A witch..."

_**A little bit more on the Doctor and the Hatter's time in school. I really enjoyed writing this chapter for some reason. I would really like to know what you think, should I write 42 or should I just move onto the Human nature/ family of blood? I have a poll on my profile and it would really help to know before I start to write it. Anyway, I hope you liked it, please review :)**_


	6. Chapter 6 The Shakespeare Code part 2

_**The Shakespeare Code part 2**_

"Oh, sweet Dolly Bailey," Shakespeare sighed as he sat at his desk, "She sat out three bouts of the plague in this place. We all ran like rats. But what could have scared her so? She had such enormous spirit".

"'Rage, rage against the dying of the light,'" the Doctor quoted making the Hatter hit his arm again.

"I might use that," Shakespeare said sounding impressed.

"You can't," the Hatter gave the Doctor a pointed look; "It's someone else's".

"But the thing is," Martha frowned, "Lynley drowned on dry land, Dolly died of fright, and they were both connected to you".

"Good point, Martha," the Hatter nodded.

"You're accusing me?" Shakespeare blinked at them.

"Not at all," the Hatter held her hands up.

"But I saw a witch, big as you like, flying, cackling away, and you've written about witches," Martha said.

"I have? When was that?"

"Not yet," the Hatter whispered to Martha.

"Peter Streete spoke of witches," Shakespeare said.

"Who's Peter Streete?" Martha asked.

"The architect if I remember correctly," the Hatter said.

"How did..." Shakespeare began.

"The Doctor's not the only one who likes to read".

"He sketched the plans to the Globe," Shakespeare nodded.

"The architect," the Doctor said, "Hold on. The architect! The architect!" he suddenly slammed his hand on the table making the Hatter jump, "The Globe! Come on!" he grabbed the Hatter's hand and pulled her with him as Martha, and Shakespeare followed.

...

"The columns there, right?" the Doctor pointed as he stood in the pit of the theatre, Martha and Shakespeare stood on the stage while the Hatter dangled of her legs over the side, "14 sides. I've always wondered but never asked..." he looked at Shakespeare, "Tell me, Will, why 14 sides?"

"It was the shape Peter Streete thought best, that's all," he shrugged, "Said it carried the sound well".

"He wasn't wrong about that," the Hatter nodded before frowning, "Is it just me or does 14 ring a bell? And when I say bell I mean a huge one like in a church...I think. I haven't been inside a church in a while".

"There are 14 lines in a sonnet," Martha suggested.

"So there is," the Hatter nodded, "Very good point, Martha Jones".

"Words and shapes, following the same design," the Doctor started pacing, running his hands through his hair, "14 lines, 14 sides, 14 facets...oh, my head," he started tapping it.

"Doctor, you're going to give yourself an even worse headache if you hit yourself," the Hatter shook her head.

"Yes mother," the Doctor continued to paces, "Tetradecagon...think, think, think! Words, letters, numbers, lines!"

"This is just a theatre." Shakespeare shook his head.

"Oh, but a theatre's magic," the Hatter said, standing up and jumping of the stage, landing gracefully, "You should know. Stand on this stage, say the right words with just the right emphasis at the right time...oh, you can make men weep, or cry with joy, change them, make them fall in love. You can change people's minds just with words in this place," she sighed, "And just think of what could happen if you exaggerate that..."

"It's like your police box," Martha called to the Doctor, "Small wooden box with all that POWER inside".

"Oh!" the Doctor looked at her, "Oh, Martha Jones, I like you!"

"Brilliant, Martha," the Hatter smiled.

"Tell you what, though," the Doctor said, "Peter Streete would know. Can we talk to him?"

"You won't get an answer," Shakespeare sighed, "A month after finishing this place...lost his mind".

"It's always the way," the Hatter sighed, shaking her head.

"Why?" Martha asked, looking at Will, "What happened?"

"Started raving about witches, hearing voices, babbling," Shakespeare explained, "His mind was addled".

"Where is he now?" the Doctor asked.

"Bedlam".

"What's Bedlam?" Martha asked.

"Bethlem Hospital," Shakespeare said, "A madhouse".

"We're gonna go there," the Doctor said, taking the Hatter's hand, "Right now. Come on," he turned and walked away, Martha and Shakespeare following.

"Wait!" Shakespeare called after them, "I'm coming with you. I want to witness this first hand!" he started running after them, passing the two actors from last night, handing them the finished script, "Ralph, the last scene as promised. Copy it, hand it round. Learn it. Speak it. Back before curtain up. Remember, kid, project. Eyes and teeth. You never know, the Queen might turn up," he walked past them, muttering to himself, "As if. She never does".

...

"So, tell me of Freedonia, where a woman can be doctors, writers, actors," Shakespeare said to Martha as they made their way down a street towards the hospital.

"This country's ruled by a woman," Martha remained him.

"Ah, she's royal," Shakespeare said, "That's God's business. Though you are both royal beauties".

"Whoa, Nelly!" Martha stopped and the Hatter noticed that the Doctor's grip on her hand tightened, "I know for a fact you've got a wife in the country".

"But Martha, this is the _town_," Shakespeare argued.

"Come on," the Doctor called over to them, "We can all have a good flirt later".

"Is that a promise, Doctor?" Shakespeare grinned slyly.

"Oh, 57 academics just punched the air," the Hatter laughed, "But we really should hurry".

The Doctor nodded, "Move!"

...

Scrams and moans filled the air in the hospital as the Doctor, Martha, Shakespeare, and the Hatter were led down the stone hallway towards Peter's cell.

"Does my Lord, Doctor, wish some entertainment while he waits?" the jailer leading them grinned, "I'd wipe these madmen. They'll put on a good show for ya. Bandog and Bedlam!"

"No, we don't!" the Hatter glared at him making the jailer blinked a few times at being refused.

"Wait here, my lords, my lady, while I make him decent," the Jailer nodded, still slightly taken aback by the Hatter before walking away.

"So this is what you call a hospital, yeah?" Martha glared at Shakespeare, "Where the patients are whipped to entertain the gentry? And you put your _friend_ in here?"

"Oh, and it's all so different in Freedonia".

"But you're clever!" Martha shook her head, "Do you honestly think this is any good?"

"I've been mad," Shakespeare said grimly as the Hatter looked down, remembering why he did, "I've lost my mind. Fear of this place set me right again. It serves its purpose".

"Mad in what why?"

"You lost your son," the Hatter said sadly, looking up. The Doctor put his arm around her, "I know how it feels. My own children were killed in a war. That's what you meant earlier when you said that I understood".

Shakespeare nodded, "My only boy. The Blake Death took him. I wasn't even there".

"Same," the Hatter sighed, taking a deep breath, "Without the Blake Death part. I can still remember being summoned by the High Council and being told," She shook her head and took another breath, "I was so distraught that they had to drag me from the room. I locked myself in my bedroom for days, refusing to eat, drink, just lying on my bed, sobbing for hours. My parents become so concerned for my health that they even let the Doctor see me," she gave a small laugh, "You could always tell when my parents were worried about me because they would send him".

"I've never seen you like that before," the Doctor shook his head, looking as if he was remembering something horrifying, "At one point there I was terrified that you were going to try and kill yourself and refuse to regenerate".

"If you hadn't talked me out of it, I think I would have," the Hatter admitted, stepping away from the Doctor and resting her head against the cold stone wall, "That was one of my more emotional regenerations. I also didn't have the best impulse control".

"I didn't know," Martha breathed, looking in-between the Hatter and Shakespeare, apologizing to both of them, "I'm sorry".

"It made me question everything," Shakespeare nodded, "The futility of this fleeting existence. To be or not to be...oh, that quite good".

"You should write that down," the Doctor smiled slightly, glancing over to the Hatter to see her looking like her old self again.

"Hm, maybe not. A bit pretentious?"

"This way, m'lord!" the Jailer called from down the hall. They walked to where he was standing with the door to Peter's cell open, "They can be dangerous, m'lord. Don't know their own strength".

"I think it helps if you don't wipe them!" the Doctor snapped at him making the Hatter put a hand on his arm to try and calm him down, "Now get out!" they waited until the jailer had hurried off before the Doctor and the Hatter slowly approached Peter's bed that he was on, "Peter?" the Doctor asked, "Peter Streete?"

"He's the same as he was," Shakespeare said, "You'll get nothing out of him".

"Peter?" the Doctor placed his hand on Peter's should and the man's head jerked up, eye's wide but glassy as if he wasn't really seeing the Doctor.

The Doctor at the Hatter who shook her head, "I did it last time, Doctor".

He nodded and turned back to Peter, placing his fingertips on his temples, "Peter, I'm the Doctor. Go into the past, one year ago. Let your mind go back, back to when everything was fine and shining. Everything that happened in this year since happened to somebody else. It was just a story. A winter's tale. Let go. Listen. That's it, just let go," he stood and gently laid Peter down on to his cot, "Tell us the story, Peter. Tell us about the witches".

"Witches spoke to Peter," Peter explained to them, "In the night, they whispered. Got Peter to build the Globe to their design. THEIR design! The 14 walls, always 14. When the work was done..." he gave a laugh, "They snapped poor Peter's wits".

"Where did Peter see the Witches? Where in the city?" the Doctor knelt back down, "Peter, tell us. You've got to tell us where were they?"

"All Hallows Street".

"Too many words!" suddenly an old woman screeched from the corner of the cell.

The Doctor jumped back, standing in front of the Hatter and Martha, staring at the woman.

"Alright, that's cheating," the Hatter blinked.

"What the hell?" Martha gasped.

"Just one touch of the heart," the woman, witch, turned and put a finger on Peter's chest.

"No!" the Doctor and the Hatter shouted as Peter screamed and died.

"Witch!" Shakespeare gasped in disbelieve, "I'm seeing a witch!"

"Who would be next, hmm?" the witch turned to them, "Just one touch. Oh, oh, I'll stop your frantic hearts. Poor, fragile mortals".

"Let us out!" Martha shouted through the bars of the cell, "Let us out!"

"Don't bother, Martha," the Hatter sighed, "The whole buildings shouting the same thing".

"Who will die first, hmm?" the witch repented.

"Well, if you're looking for volunteers," the Doctor stepped forward but the Hatter grabbed his arm.

"Don't you dare," she said but he shrugged her off, "Oh, I hate you sometimes".

"Doctor, can you stop her?" Shakespeare asked.

"No mortal has power over me," the witch cackled.

"Oh, but there's power in words," the Doctor remarked making the Hatter gasped as she realised what to do, "If I can find the right one...if I can just know you..."

"None on Earth has knowledge of us".

"Then It's a good thing we're here," the Hatter said stepping forward before the Doctor could stop her, "Humanoid female, uses shapes and words to channel energy with the number 14," she gasped, "The 14 stars of the Rexel planetary configuration!"

"Brilliant!" the Doctor grinned, stepping in front of the Hatter and pointed, "Creature, I name you Carrionnite!"

The witch screamed and disappeared. The Doctor quickly turned and hugged the Hatter tightly taking her by surprise.

"Um, thanks, Doctor," the Hatter said slightly confused as she hugged him back, "But would you mind telling me why you're hugging me?"

"Do I need a reason to hug my best friend?"

"No..."

"What did you do?" Martha gasped.

"He named her," the Hatter said as the Doctor let her go, "The power of a name".

"That's old magic," the Doctor finished.

"But there's no such thing as magic," Martha frowned.

"It's a different type of science," the Hatter shrugged, "I studied it in school. Human's chose mathematics. Given the right string of numbers, the right equation, you can split the atom. Carrionites just use words".

"Use them for what?" Shakespeare frowned.

The Doctor sighed, "The end of the world".

...

"The Carrionites Disappeared way back at the dawn of the Universe," the Doctor explained as they sat in Shakespeare's room back at the inn, "Nobody was sure if they were real or legend".

"'The Order,' were," the Hatter sighed, "They enjoyed taking myths and legends, proving them to be true. It was amazing to watch how simple it could be. I was one of the leaders in a group that were in charge of proving that Carrionites existed. It was so long ago that I almost forget".

"But what do they want?" Martha frowned.

"A new empire on Earth," the Doctor said, "A world of bones and blood and witchcraft".

"But how?"

"I'm looking at the man with words," the Doctor looked at Shakespeare.

"Me?" he blinked, surprised, "But I've done nothing".

"Hold on, though," Martha frowned and looked at him, "What were you doing last night, when that Carrionite was in the room?"

"Finishing the play".

"What happens on the last page?" the Hatter asked.

"The boys get the girls," Shakespeare shrugged, "They have a bit of a dance. It's all as funny and thought provoking as usual..." he frowned at the next part, "Except those last few lines. Funny thing is...I don't actually remember writing them".

"They used you," the Hatter realised, "Oh, that's clever and very bad at the same time. They gave you the final words. Like a spell, like a code. 'Love Labor's Won,' it's a weapon!"

"The right combination of words," the Doctor nodded, "Spoken at the right place with the shape of the Globe as an energy converter! The play's the thing! And yes, you can have that".

...

"All Hallows Street," the Doctor said as they looked down at a map, "There it is. The Hatter, Martha, and I, we'll track them down. Will, you get to the Globe. Whatever you do, stop that play!"

"I'll do it," he nodded, shacking the Doctor's hand and much to the Hatter's surprise, kissing her own, "All these years I've been the cleverest man around. Next to the two of you, I know nothing".

"Um, thanks," the Hatter blushed.

"Oh, don't complain," Martha smiled at Shakespeare.

"I'm not. It's marvellous. Good luck, Doctor, Hatter".

"Good luck, Shakespeare!" the Doctor called as he walked to the door with the Hatter, "Once more unto the breach!"

The Hatter shook her head, "You can't control yourself, can you?"

"I like that," Shakespeare said before frowning, "Wait a minute...that's one of mine".

The Doctor stuck his head back into the room, "Oh, just shift!"

...

"All Hallows Street, but which house?" the Doctor wondered as they stood on the right street the only problem was working out which house.

"The thing is, though...am I missing something here?" Martha frowned, "The world didn't end in 1599. It just didn't. Look at me...I'm living proof".

"Oh, how to explain the mechanics of the infinite temporal flux?" the Doctor said thoughtfully.

"'Back to the Future,'" the Hatter said, "It's like 'Back to the Future'".

"The film?" Martha asked.

"No, the novelization," the Doctor rolled his eyes, "Yes, the film. Marty McFly goes back and changes history".

"And he starts fading away," Martha's eyes widened, "Oh my God, am I gonna fade?"

"You and the entire future of the human race," the Doctor nodded, "It ends right now in 1599 if we don't stop it. But which house?" the door of one of the houses opened by its self, "Ah, make that WITCH house".

They looked at each other before walking inside to see the young girl from the inn, standing there as if she was waiting, "I take it we're expected," the Doctor said, standing in front of the Hatter.

"Oh, I think death has been waiting for you a very long time," the woman smirked, glancing at the Hatter, "Both of you".

"Right then, it's my turn," Martha stepped forward, bravely, "I know how to do this," she pointed, "I name thee Carrionite!" The woman gave a gasp before laughing, "What did I do wrong? Was it the finger?"

"The power of a name works only once," the woman pointed at Martha, "Observe. I gaze upon this bag of bones and now I name thee Martha Jones," Martha collapsed and the Doctor and the Hatter caught her, gently lowering her to the floor where the Hatter checked her over.

"What have you done?" the Doctor demanded, glaring at the witch.

"She's alright," the Hatter said standing up, "Just sleeping".

"Alas, you are correct," the witch sighed, "Curious, the name has less impact. She's somehow out of her time. And as for you, Sir Doctor!" she pointed at him, but nothing happen, "Fascinating. There is no name," she pointed at the Hatter, "I name thee, Dame Hatter!" the Hatter pretend to sway before she laughed.

"How many people do you know of that are called, 'the Hatter?'" she laughed, "I thought the Carrionites were smarter than that".

"Hatter," the Doctor groaned, pulling her behind him again as the witch glared daggers at her, "Every time, every time".

"Why would a man and woman hide his title in such despair?" the Witch continued as if nothing had happened but she had a slight edge to her voices, "Oh, but look," she smirked at the Doctor, "There's still one word with the power that aches".

"The naming won't work on me," the Doctor warned her.

"But your heart grows cold. The north wind blows and carries down the distant...Rose".

"Oh, big mistake," the Doctor glared at her, moving towards her as the Hatter winced knowing how angry he was going to be now, "'Cos that name keeps me fighting!"

"Doctor, please calm down," the Hatter sighed but she was ignored.

"The Carrionites vanished!" the Doctor shouted, "Where did you go?"

"The Eternals found the right word to banish us into the deep darkness," the witch walked further into the room.

"And how did you escape?" the Doctor asked a little calmer.

"New words. New and glittering from the mind like no other".

"Shakespeare," the Doctor and the Hatter realised.

"His son perished," the witch explained, "The grief of a genius. Grief without measure. Madness enough to allow us entrance".

"How many of you?" the Hatter asked over her shoulder as she tried to wake Martha.

"Just the three. But the play tonight shall restore the rest. Then the human race will be purged as pestilence. And from this world we will lead the Universe back to the old ways of blood and magic".

"Hmm...busy schedule...but first you gotta get past me".

"Oh, that should be a pleasure considering my enemy has such a handsome shape," the witch smirked, running her fingers through his hair and the side of her check touching his.

"If the two of you want to be along I can go hang outside with Martha," the Hatter suggested, "Once she's awake of course".

"Now, that's one form of magic that's definitely not gonna work on me," the Doctor said but couldn't keep his eyes from flickering to where the Hatter was.

"Is that a yes, no, maybe?" the Hatter asked referring to what she said before.

"Oh, we'll see," the witch smirked, reaching up to his hair and pulling a piece out, quickly backing away closer towards the closed window.

"What did you do?" the Doctor frowned, rubbing the place she had pulled it from.

"Souvenir".

"Most people take pictures," the Hatter remarked but she was frowning over her shoulder, "Or sketches in this day and age".

"Well, give it back!" the Doctor shouted, lunging for the witch but she threw her hands out behind herself and the window behind her opened, allowing her to fly backwards, hovering just outside, "Well...that's just cheating".

"Hey, that what I say," The Hatter shook her head, hurrying over to the Doctor to see for herself, "That is cheating".

"Behold, Doctor. Men to the Carrionites are nothing but puppets".

The witch held up a doll and wrapped the Doctor's hair around it just as Martha started waking.

"Now, you might call that magic...I'd call that a DNA replication module".

"What use is your science now?"

And with that the witch stabbed the doll and the Doctor gripped his left heart, clinging onto the Hatter as they both fell to the floor. The witch cackled and flew away.

"Oh my God!" Martha gasped, scrambling over to them as the Hatter untangled herself from the Doctor's arms so she could help him better but he refused to let go, "Doctor! Don't worry, we've got you".

"We need to get his heart working, Martha," the Hatter said as the Doctor grimaced with pain and gripped her arms tightly, not painful but still tight, "You only have one heart working, Doctor. This next part might be a little painful".

"How do you people cope?" the Doctor grimaced, looking at Martha.

"Martha, just do what I tell you, alright?" the Hatter said, looking over the Doctor's head to see her before looking back at the Doctor, "Deep breaths, are you ready?" he nodded, "Martha, hit him on his chest," she did as she was told, "And other side over his working heart, on his back, left a bit, yes, perfect, hit him".

"Ah, lovely," the Doctor let go of the Hatter's arms and got to his feet before helping her to stand, "There we go! Ba-da-boom! Well, what are you standing there for? Come on! The Globe!"

They ran out of the room, out of the house and down the street towards the Globe.

"We're going the wrong way, Doctor!" the Hatter shouted as he made the wrong turn.

"No, we're not!" he shouted back.

"Honestly, he's only had his left heart working for less than two minutes and he's running all over London," the Hatter muttered to Martha who smiled, "Just think what his mother had to go through when he was a toddler. Time Tot I should say".

"We're going the wrong way!" he dashed past them again. They continued running only to hear people screaming as they neared the Globe. Around the top was a red glow.

"I told thee so!" the preacher from earlier pointed at it, "I told thee!"

"Stage door!" the Doctor pointed as they ran for it, thunder and lightning forming, mixed with the red as they burst through the stage door to find Shakespeare rubbing his head, leaning against a wall, "Stop the play! I think that was it. Yeah, I said, 'stop the play!'"

"I hit my head".

"The Carrionites get around," the Hatter muttered to herself.

"Yeah, don't rub it, you'll got bold," the audience gave another scream, "I think that's our cue!"

The Doctor grabbed the Hatter's hand and ran onto the main stage with Martha pulling Shakespeare after them.

"Not begins the millennium of blood!" the Carrionites shouted with glee but the glee soon faded at seeing the Doctor, "The Doctor! He lives! Then watch this world become a blasted heath! They come! They come!"

The Doctor and the Hatter paused as the Carrionites were freed from the crystal ball in the main witch's hands and flew around the Globe. The Doctor shook his head and grabbed Shakespeare, "Come on, Will! History needs you!"

"But what do I do?"

"Reverse it!" the Hatter shouted, hold her hat to her head with one hand.

"How am I supposed to do that?"

"The shape of the Globe gives words power, but you're the wordsmith, the one true genius!" the Hatter shouted, "The only man clever enough to do it!"

"But what words? I have none ready?"

"You're William Shakespeare!" the Doctor shouted.

"But these Carritonite phrases, they need such precision!"

"Trust yourself," the Hatter said, "When you're locked in your room, the words just come, right? Like magic".

"Words of the right sound, the right shape, the right rhythm, words that last forever!" the Doctor continued, "That's what you do, Will! You choose perfect words. Do it. Improvise!"

Shakespeare stepped forward, "Close up this den of hateful, dire decay! Decomposition of your witches' plot! You thieve my brains, consider me your toy. My doting Doctor tells me I am not!"

"No!" the Carrionite's screeched, "Words of power!"

"Foul Carrionte spectres, cease you show! Between the points..." he looked at the Doctor who looked at the Hatter.

"7-6-5-4-3-2-1-0!" the Hatter shouted over the wind.

"7-6-5-4-3-2-1-0!" Shakespeare shouted, "And banished like a tinker's cuss, I say to thee..." he looked at the Doctor who looked at the Hatter who turned to Martha.

"Expelliamus!' Martha shouted.

"Expelliamus!" the Doctor and the Hatter shouted.

"Expelliamus!" Shakespeare shouted.

"Good old J.K.!" the Doctor shouted making the Hatter laugh as the Carrionites scrammed and wailed.

"The deep darkness!" the witch screamed as they were sucked up into the cloud, along with the script, "They consumed! Ah!"

"'Love's Labor's Won,'" the Doctor said, "There it goes".

The red cloud disappeared and the audience started clapping. The Doctor made his way off the stage as the actors took their bows.

"They think it was all special effects," Martha laughed as the Hatter shook her head.

"Nothing ever changes," she smiled.

"Your effect is special indeed," Shakespeare grinned at Martha.

"It's not your best line," Martha laughed, taking a bow with him and the Hatter.

...

"Good props store back there!" the Doctor grinned as he and the Hatter emerged from the backstage, the Doctor wearing a ruff collar and carrying an animal skull that they had been laughing about, "I'm not sure about this though," he eyed the skull, "Reminds me of a Sycorax".

"It is quite the likeness," the Hatter nodded.

"Sycorax," Shakespeare said, "Nice word. I'll have that off you as well".

"I should be 10 percent," the Doctor remarked, making the Hatter shack her head, "How's your head?"

"Still aching".

"Well, try this," the Hatter said undoing the collar around the Doctor's neck and passing it to Shakespeare, "Neck brace. Wear that for a day or so until its better, although you might want to keep it. I think it suits you".

"What about the play?" Martha asked.

"Gone," the Doctor shrugged, "We looked all over, every single copy of 'Love's Labor's Won' went up in to the sky".

"My masterpiece," Shakespeare sighed.

"You could write it again," Martha suggested.

"Yeah, better not, Will," the Doctor frowned and the Hatter nodded, "There still power in those words. Maybe it best should stay forgotten".

"Oh, but I've got new ideas," Shakespeare said, "Perhaps it's time I wrote about fathers and sons. In the memory of my boy, my precious Hamnet".

"I think it's a wonderful idea," the Hatter smiled.

"Hamnet?" Martha asked, eyeing him.

"That's him".

"Ham-NET?"

"What's wrong with that?"

"Anyway," the Doctor cut in, "Time we were off. I've got a nice attic in the TARIDS where this lot," he picked the crystal globe up, "Can scream for all eternity and I've gotta take Martha back to Freedonia".

"You mean travel on through time and space?" Shakespeare making the Hatter blink at him.

"You...what?"

"You're from another world like the Carrionites, you and Dame Hatter, and Martha is from the future. It's not hard to work out".

"That's...incredible," the Doctor and the Hatter breathed, "You are incredible".

"We're alike in many ways, Doctor, Hatter. Martha, let me say goodbye to you in a new verse. A sonnet for my Dark Lady. Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate..."

"Will!" suddenly one of the actors ran onto the stage, shouting, "Will! You'll never believe it! She's here! She's turned up!"

"We're the talk of the town," a second actor said, "She heard about last night! She wants us to perform it again".

"Who?" Martha asked.

"Her Majesty! She's here!"

"Queen Elizabeth the I!" the Doctor and the Hatter grinned as a fanfare went off and the queen walked in.

"Doctor!" she glared at him.

"What?" he frowned, slightly concerned when she didn't mention the Hatter.

"My sworn enemy!"

"What?"

"Of with his head!"

"What!"

"Never mind 'what,' just move!" the Hatter gabbed his arm and Martha's and pulled them.

"See you, Will!" Martha shouted over her shoulder as they ran out of the Globe and down the street.

"Stop that pernicious Doctor!" the queen shouted as her guards chased after them while they raced back to the TARDIS.

"Stop in the name of the Queen!" one of the guards shouted.

"What have you done to upset her?" Martha asked the Doctor as they reached the TARDIS.

"How should I know?" the Doctor shook his head, "Haven't even met her yet. That's time travel for you! Still, can't wait to find out..." he unlocked the door and pushed the Hatter and Martha inside, "That's something to look forward to. Oh!"

He ducked inside just as an archer fired at him, hitting the TARDIS and embedding an arrow in the door as they dematerialized.

_**I hope you liked it, please review :)**_


	7. Chapter 7 Gridlock

_**Gridlock **_

Martha sat in the captains chair looking slightly upset while the Doctor and the Hatter ran around the console, the Doctor was practically bouncing around because of his good mood.

"Just one trip," the Doctor said, "'S'what I said. One trip, in the TARDIS, and then home. Although..." he glanced at the Hatter who had been hinting to him all night that she wanted Martha to stay. Well, if it made her happy, "I suppose we could...stretch the definition. Try one trip to the past, one trip to the future. How do you fancy that?"

"No complaints from me!" Martha laughed, grinning.

"_Thank you, Theta,"_ the Hatter said telepathically, giving him a smile before turning to Martha, "So, Martha Jones, how about a different planet?"

"Can we go to yours?" Martha stood up, still smiling and going over to them.

The Doctor and the Hatter's smiles faded and the Hatter looked down at the floor, "Ah, there's plenty of other places!" the Doctor looked away from Martha and moving closer to the Hatter.

"Come on, though!" Martha continued, "I mean, planet of the Time Lord's, that's got to be worth a look! What's it like?"

"Beautiful," the Hatter said quietly, absent mildly playing with her old necklace under her scarf, "Really stunning".

"Is it like, you know, outer space cites, all spires and stuff?"

"Suppose it is," the Doctor nodded.

"Great big temples and cathedrals!"

"Yeah..." the Doctor and the Hatter sighed.

"Lots of planets in the sky?"

"The sky's a burnt orange," the Doctor murmured as the Hatter took his hand, "With the Citadel enclosed in a mighty glass dome, shining under the twin sun. Beyond that, the mountains go on forever, slopes of deep red grass, capped with snow..."

"No other planet in the Universe has grass that smelt like the grass there," the Hatter smiled softly, "I will never forget the first time I ran through that grass. It was the first time in my entire life I had felt like a proper child".

"Can we go there?" Martha asked.

"Naah!" the Doctor shook his head, faking his excitement, "Where's the fun for us? We don't want to go home! Instead..." he started working on the consol again as the Hatter sighed and leant back against the railing, watching him sadly, "This is much better. Year five billion and fifty-three, planet New Earth! Second hope of mankind! Fifty thousand light years from old world and we're slap bang in the middle of New New York. Although, technically, it's the fiftieth New York from the original, so it's New-New-New-New-New-New-New-New-New-New-New-New-New-New New York. One of the most dazzling cities ever built".

He headed for the door, pulling his coat on and helping the Hatter with her own before leading them outside into...the pouring rain. Lovely.

"Oh, that's nice!" Martha zipped her jacket up as the Hatter looked through her pockets for an umbrella, "Time Lord version of dazzling".

"Nah, bit of rain never hurt anyone," the Doctor shrugged, grinning at them as the Hatter gave up looking through her pockets, "Come on, let's get under cover!"

They ran down the alleyway and underneath an awning sticking out of the side of a building, the tro ducked under, looking through the rain at the street that looked as if it was somewhere under the main city from what the Hatter could remember. On both sides of them were trails of laundry lines.

"Wall, it looks like the same old Earth to me," Martha remarked as they walked, "On a Wednesday afternoon".

"I thought it remained me of something," the Hatter nodded.

"Hold on, hold on," the Doctor said looking around, "Let's have a look," he spotted a dead computer screen on the wall inside a small alcove, pulling his sonic out and flashing it at the screen making static appear, so being him he hit the top of it. A blonde woman flicked on, in the middle of a report.

"...and the driving should be clear and easy, with fifteen extra lanes open for the New New Jersey expressway," the image shifted to show New New York city, cars zooming around it as the Hatter rang her damp hair out.

"Oh, that's more like it!" the Doctor grinned, "That's the New I had last time..."

"You've been here before?" the Hatter asked, slightly surprised that he never told her.

"...this must be the lower levels," the Doctor continued, "Down in the base of the tower, some sort of under-city".

"You've brought me to the slums?" Martha asked, shaking her head.

"Much more interesting!" the Doctor said and the Hatter nodded, "It's all cocktails and glitter up there. This is the real city".

The Hatter smiled, shaking her head at him, "That's typical you, enjoy anything and everything".

"That's me," he grinned and winked at her, "Oh, the rain's stopping! Better and better!"

"Wait a minute, Doctor," the Hatter pulled him back as he went to leave, "I'm not walking around with your hair plastid to your forehead. Now hold still so I can fix it".

"When you say 'last time,' was that you and Rose?" Martha asked as she watched the Hatter fiddle with his hair to try and get it to stick back up.

"Um...yeah," the Doctor admitted a little distracted by the Hatter, "Yeah, it was, yeah".

"There," the Hatter said stepping back and looking at her work, "Much better. Now I can walk around with you".

"You're taking me to the same planets that you took her?" Martha frowned, looking at them both.

"Don't look at me, Martha," the Hatter held her hands up, "This is the first time I've ever heard this story. I wasn't even there".

"What's wrong with that?" the Doctor asked confused.

"Nothing," Martha muttered, "Just...ever heard the word 'rebound?'"

The Doctor looked at the Hatter with a baffled look on his face which soon turned into confusion when she sighed and shook her head. Martha pushed past him but only made a few steps before a man suddenly flipped opened a green top of his trailer to reveal a vendor's cart. All around the street more people were doing the same thing.

"Oh!" the first man called when he saw them, "You should have said. How long you been there? Happy! You want happy!"

"Customers!" another vendor shouted, a women this time, "Customers! We've got customers!"

"We're in business!" another woman grinned from her own cart, "Mother, open up the mellow, and the read!"

"Happy, happy, lovely happy, happy!" the first vendor chanted.

"Anger! Buy some anger!"

"Get some mellow, makes you feel all bendy and soft all day long!"

"Ignore them," the first vendor said, "They'll rip you off. Do you want happy?"

"No, thanks," the Doctor frowned.

"Are they selling drugs?" Martha frowned looking around at the carts.

"I think they're selling moods," the Hatter frowned, also looking around.

"Same thing, isn't it?" Martha remarked.

A sickly pale, blonde woman, dressed in a black outfit walked into the alley and walked over to one of the stalls.

"Over here, sweetheart!" one of the vendors called to her, "That's it, come on, I'll get you first!"

"Oi! Oi, you! Over here! Over here! Buy some happy!"

"Come over here, yeah. And what can I get you, my love?"

"I want to buy Forget," the woman said to the third vendor.

"I've got Forget, my darling," the vendor nodded, "What strength? How much you want forgetting?"

"It's my mother and father," the woman explained softly but the Doctor, the Hatter, and Martha could still hear everything, "They went on the Motorway".

"Oh, that's so sweet," the vendor said, reaching behind her and pulling a small circular token, holding it out to the women, "Try this. Forget 43. That's two credits".

The woman paid and took the token, moving to walk away but the Doctor stopped her.

"Sorry, but...hold on a minute," he said stepping in front of her, "What happened to your parents?"

"They drove off," the woman replied.

"They might come back," the Hatter frowned, confused.

"Everyone goes to the Motorway in the end. I've lost them".

"But they can't have gone far," the Hatter tried, "You could find them," the woman stared at her for a moment before putting the token on her neck, "No, no...no, don't!"

But it was too late, the woman's face cleared and she smiled at them, dazed, "I'm sorry, what were you saying?"

"Your parents," the Doctor frowned, trying to remind her, "Your mother and father. They're on the Motorway".

"Are they? That's nice. I'm sorry. I won't keep you," she turned and walked off, the Doctor, the Hatter frowned, and Martha looking upset.

"So that's the human race five billion years in the future," Martha scoffed, looking slightly disgusted with the idea, "Off their heads on chemicals".

Suddenly Martha screamed making the Doctor and the Hatter turn to see two figures, one a man and the other a woman, both holding guns, dressed in dark clothing grabbed Martha from behind, the man throwing his arm around her neck, dragging her backwards while the woman pointed her gun at them. The Doctor pulled the Hatter behind him, holding her tightly behind his back as she struggled to try and help Martha.

Martha let out another scream, struggled as she was pulled away, "I'm sorry, I'm really, really sorry," the woman apologized over and over as she backed away, "We just need three, that's all".

"No, let her go!" the Doctor shouted, still keeping a tight grip on the Hatter, "I'm warning you, let her go! Whatever you want, I can help. Both of us, we can help. But first you've got to let her go!"

"I'm sorry," the woman still holding the gun cried, "I'm really sorry. Sorry," she continued to back away until she disappeared through a door, the man slamming it shut behind them.

The Doctor let go of the Hatter who turned and glared at him, "Doctor, if you hadn't been holding me back we might have been able to get Martha back," she said making the Doctor wince, "I'm a Time Lady, yes, I'm the last Time Lady but I can still look after myself. Now, sonic?" she held out her hand making him blink, "I left mine in the TARDIS now you either sonic the door yourself or I will and trust me...I am not in the mood to be very gentle".

He quickly did as he was told, flashing the door with his sonic and yanking it open. They both ran down a dark corridor after the kidnappers, the Doctor didn't dare take the Hatter's hand, and burst through a door at the end. They ran down another corridor and burst through another door only to see a car rising into the air and speeding off down another alleyway, out of sight.

"Martha!" the Doctor yelled but it was too late.

"No," the Hatter groaned, all of her anger towards the Doctor gone, "Not again, not after..." but the Doctor turned and hugged her before she could say 'Rose'.

"We need to go back," he said, stepped back and pulling her back the way they just came. When they arrived back at the alley, the Doctor pounded on one of the vendor's doors until it was opened.

"Thought you'd be back!" the woman grinned, "Do you want some happy Happy?"

"Those people...who were they?" the Doctor demanded, trying to keep his temper in check, "Where did they take her?"

"They've taken her to the Motorway," the first vendor called, opening his window.

"Looked like carjackers to me," the vendor they had been talking nodded.

"I'd give up now," a second vendor advised, "You won't see her again".

"Used to be thriving in this place," the first vendor sighed, "You couldn't move. But they all go to the Motorway in the end".

"He kept on saying three, we need three," the Hatter said loudly, "What did he mean when he said, three?"

"It's the car-sharing policy, to save fuel," the third vendor explained, "You get special access if you're carrying three adults".

"This Motorway...how do we get there?" the Doctor asked.

"Straight down the alley, keep going to the end. You can't miss it," the Doctor nodded, taking the Hatter's hand and walked off, "Tell you what...how 'bout some happy Happy? Then you'll be smiling, my love!"

The Doctor whirled around, "Word of advice, all of you. Cash up. Close down. And pack your bags".

"Why's that, then?" the third woman frowned.

"Because as soon as we've found her, alive and well...and we will find her, alive and well...then we're coming back. And this street is closing. Tonight!"

The vendors glanced at each other as the Doctor pulled the Hatter along.

...

The Doctor flashed his sonic across a door reading 'Motorway Access," and forced it open with some help from the Hatter. They both stepped onto a platform covered in smog, thousands of cars all locked in a traffic jam before them.

Immediately they started coughing and gagging on the fumes. The Doctor pulled the Hatter to his chest so it wouldn't be so bad for her while he tried to cover his mouth with his hand. One of the cars hovering in front of them opened its door and a man, his face covered by a scarf and goggles gestured to them.

"Hey!" he called to them, "You daft little street struts! What are you doing, standing there? Either get out or get in! Come on!" The Doctor put an arm around the Hatter and jumped into the car, both coughing and spluttering as the door shut behind them, "Did you ever see the like?"

"Here you go," a dark haired woman quickly past the Doctor a oxygen mask which he tried to pass off to the Hatter but ended up having it forced onto his face by her.

"It's...it's..." she coughed and gasped for breath slightly, "...not...so...so...bad...for...me".

The Doctor shook his head and pulled it back off and held it to her face as she went into another coughing fit.

"Just standing there, breathing it in!" the man exclaimed, pulling his goggles and scarf off to reveal a cat's face, "There's this story says back in the old days, on Junction 47, this woman stood in the exhaust fumes for a solid twenty minutes. By the time they found her, her head had swollen to fifty feet!"

"Oh, you're making it up," the woman shook her head but she was smiling.

"A fifty-foot head!" the man made his way past the Doctor and the Hatter, sitting in the driver's seat, "Just think of it. Imagine picking that nose".

"Stop it," the woman scratched her face up as the Hatter past the Doctor the mask, giving him a stern look to put it on, "That's disgusting".

"What? Did you never pick your nose?"

"Bran, we're moving!" the woman suddenly cried.

"Right. I'm there. I'm on it," he pulled a lever and the engines kicked into life, moving them forward one car space, "Twenty yards! We're having a good day," the woman smiled at him before he turned to the Doctor and the Hatter, "And who might you be? Very well dressed for hitchhikers".

"Thanks," the Hatter smiled at them, referring to the oxygen, she was feeling loads better after it, "I'm the Hatter and this is the Doctor".

The Doctor pulled of the mask, "Yeah, sorry".

"Medical men!" Bran laughed, "Ha ha! My name's Thomas Kincade Brannian, and this is the bane of my life, the lovely Valarie".

"Nice to meet you," Valarie smiled at them.

"And that's the rest of the family behind you".

The Doctor looked behind him and pulled back the curtain, revealing a basket of the most adorable kittens, all different colours and with ribbons tied around there necks.

"Oh, aren't they just the sweetest things," the Hatter smiled as she gently picked up a white kitten with a blue ribbon, "Hello, sweetheart".

"Aww, that's nice," the Doctor grinned as he also picked a black kitten up, "Hello," he glanced over at the Hatter and couldn't help himself from beaming at her happy she looked.

"How old are they?" the Hatter smiled, looking over to Valarie as she gently placed the kitten back in its basket.

"Just two months," Valarie smiled, patting the head of the kitten the Doctor was holding.

"Poor little souls," Bran sighed, "They've never known the ground beneath their paws," he explained more at seeing the confused looks on the Doctor and the Hatter, "Children of the Motorway".

"What, they were born in here?" the Doctor frowned.

"We couldn't stop," Valarie said, "We heard there were jobs going, out in the laundries on Fire Island. Thought we'd take a chance".

"What?" the Hatter asked confused, "You've been driving for two months?"

"Do I look like a teenager?" Bran laughed, "We've been driving for twelve years now".

"I'm sorry?" the Doctor and the Hatter asked in unison.

"Yeah!" Bran nodded, "Started out as newlyweds! Feels like yesterday".

"Feels like twelve years to me," Valarie remarked making the Hatter smile.

"Ah, sweetheart, but you're still lovely," he started tickling her making her giggle, the Doctor couldn't help but glance at the Hatter from the corner of his eye.

"Did you just say twelve years?" the Hatter shook her head, "How far did you come? Where did you start?"

"Battery Park," Bran said, "It's five miles back".

"You travelled five miles in twelve years?" the Doctor exclaimed.

"I think they're a bit slow," Bran commented to Valarie.

"Only on a Monday," the Hatter remarked but exchanged looks with the Doctor as he put the kitten back.

"Where are you from?" Valarie asked.

"Never mind that, we've got to get out," the Doctor said as the Hatter nodded before sighing, "Our friend's in one of these cars. She was taken hostage. We should get back to the TARDIS," he turned and opened the door before the Hatter could stop him. Smoke poured inside making the Hatter cough.

"You're too late for that," Bran called to the Doctor, "We've passed the lay-by," the Doctor started to cough again and shut the door, "You're a passenger now, Sonney Jim!"

"Do you know when the next lay-by is, then?" the Hatter asked urgently.

"Oh...six months?"

Hatter face palmed herself.

...

The Doctor crouched in front of a screen inside the car, flashing his sonic and making the screen bring up the sign for the New New York Police Department, "I need to talk to the police," he said into the transmitter.

"Thank you for your call. You have been placed on hold".

"But you're the police!" the Doctor frowned and the Hatter blinked.

"Thank you for your call. You have been placed on hold".

"What in the name..." the Hatter shook her head, staring at the screen as the Doctor scrambled over to Valerie and Bran.

"Is there anyone else?" the Doctor as them, "I once met the Duke of Manhattan, is there any way of getting through to him?"

"Oh, now aren't you lordly?" Bran remarked.

"You never told me that," the Hatter frowned.

"We've got to find our friend".

"You can't make outside calls," Valerie explained, "The Motorway's completely enclosed".

"What about the other cars?" the Hatter asked.

"Oh, we've got contact with them, yeah," Bran nodded, "Well, some of them, anyway. They've got to be on your friends list," he turned to look at a screen between him and Valerie, "Now let's see who's nearby? Ahh! The Cassini sisters," he picked up his own transmitter, "Still your hearts, my handsome girls. It's Brannigan here".

"Get off the line, Brannigan," an old woman came onto the line, "You're a pest and a menace".

"Oh, come on, now, sisters," Bran in a teasing tone, "Is that anyway to talk to an old friend?"

"You know full well we're not sisters. We're married".

"Ooh, stop that modern talk! I'm an old fashioned cat. Now, I've got hitchhikers here; call themselves the Doctor and the Hatter".

Bran passed the Doctor the transmitter, "Hello. Sorry. We're looking for someone called Martha Jones. She's been car-jacked. She's inside one of these vehicles, but we don't know which one".

"Wait a minute," new voices came over, "Could I ask, what entrance did they use?"

"Where were we?" the Doctor asked the Hatter.

"The sign said Pharmacy Town," the Hatter said thinking back, "About twenty minutes ago".

"Pharmacy Town, twenty minutes ago," the Doctor said into the transmitter.

"Let's have a look..." the second woman said, "In the last half hour, 53 new cars joined from the Pharmacy Town junction".

"Anything more specific?" the Doctor asked.

"All in good time," she said making the Hatter cover her laugh at seeing the look on the Doctor's face, "Was she car-jacked by two people?"

"Yes," the Hatter said.

"There we are. Just one of those cars was destined for the fast lane. That means they had at least three on board. And car number is four six five diamond six".

"That's it!" the Doctor said as the Hatter smiled at finely getting somewhere, "So how do we find them?"

"Ah," the woman said making the Hatter's smile fade, "Now, there I'm afraid I can't help".

"Call them on this, then," the Hatter said, gesturing to the transmitter and looking at Bran, "We have there number. Diamond six".

"Not if they're designated fast lane," Bran said, shaking his head, "It's a different class".

"You could try the police," the second women suggested.

"They put us on hold," the Doctor sighed.

"You'll have to keep trying," the first woman told them, "There's no one else".

"Thank you," the Hatter sighed as the Doctor handed the transmitter back to Bran, "Really".

"We've got to go to the fast lane," the Doctor said to Bran, "Take us down".

"No in a million years," Bran shook his head.

"Please, we have four passengers we only need three," the Hatter pleaded.

"I'm still not going," he said, firmly.

"Please, she's alone and she's lost," the Hatter tried, "She doesn't even belong on this planet".

"And it's all my fault," the Doctor nodded, making the Hatter pat his arm knowing how much he blamed himself when things went wrong, "I'm asking you, Brannigan...take us down".

"That's a no," Valarie cut in sternly, "And that's finally. I'm not risking the children down there".

"Why not?" the Doctor demanded, "What's the risk? What happens down there?"

"We're not discussing it!" Valerie shook her head, "The conversation is closed!"

"So we keep driving?" the Doctor asked, yet again struggling to keep his temper under control.

"Yes, we do," Bran nodded.

"For how long?" the Doctor raised his voices making the Hatter jump.

"Doctor, calm down, pleases," she sighed.

"Till the journey's end".

The Doctor glanced at the Hatter who nodded, he snatched the transmitter back, "Mrs. Cassini, this is the Doctor," the Hatter cleared her throat, "And the Hatter. Tell me, how long have you been driving on the Motorway?"

"Oh, were amongst the first," the first woman replied, "It's been twenty three years now".

"Excused me," the Hatter cut in, taking the transmitter from the Doctor, "Hello. Now tell me, in all that time, have you ever seen a police car?"

"...I'm not sure," the second woman said, sounding uncomfortable.

"Take a look at your notes," the Hatter said, "Any police?"

"Not as such".

"What about ambulances?" the Hatter continued, "Rescue service? Anything official? _Ever_?"

"I can't keep note of everything".

"What if there's no one out there?" the Doctor asked, taking the transmitter from the Hatter

"Stop it," Bran snapped, snatching the transmitter back, "The Cassinis were doing you a favour".

"Someone has to ask," the Hatter defended the Doctor, "Because you might not like talking about it, but it's there. In your eyes. What if this traffic jam never stops?"

"There's a whole city above us," Bran augured, "The mighty city-state of New New York. They wouldn't just leave us".

"In that case, where are they?" the Doctor asked, "Hmm? What if there's no help coming, not ever? What if there's nothing? Just the Motorway, with the car's going round and round and round, never stopping? Forever?"

"Shut up!" Valerie suddenly snapped, "Just shut up!"

The Doctor and the Hatter exchanged looks just as the screen started to flicker and the same blonde women from earlier appeared, "This is Sally Calypso, and it's that time again. The sun is blazing high in the sky over the New Atlantic, the perfect setting for the daily contemplation".

"You think you know us so well, Doctor, Hatter," Bran said, "But we're not abandoned. Not while we have each other".

Valerie smiled at him.

"This is for all of you out there on the roads," Sally continued, "We're so sorry. Drive safe".

A hymn started to play, the Doctor and the Hatter watched as Bran and Valerie started to sing along.

"On a hill, far away, stood an old, rugged cross, the emblem of suffering and shame. And I love that old cross, where the dearest and best, for a world of lost sinners was slain. So I'll cherish the old, rugged cross, rugged cross, till my trophies at last I lay down, I lay down. I will cling to the old, rugged cross, rugged cross, and exchange it someday for a crown".

The Doctor glanced at the Hatter who sighed, "I think it's time to do what we do best," she smiled at him, "Get into trouble".

The Doctor crouched beside the hatch on the floor and started sonic it, "Not 'we,' just me".

"Doctor," she said sternly, "You either take me with you or I just follow after you. So, what will it be?"

He sighed, "Fine but..."

"Yes, yes, I know," she sighed, "Any sign of trouble, let you handle it".

The Doctor smiled at her as Bran turned around and saw them crouching beside the hatch, "What do you think you're doing?" he demanded, looking shocked.

"Finding our own way," the Doctor said, "We usually do".

"Plus it's more fun," the Hatter added, taking two scarfs from her pocket and passing one to the Doctor as she wrapped her own around her face.

"Capsule open," an automatic recording announced.

The Doctor took his coat off and tossed it at Valarie who was staring at them, horrified, "Look after this. I love that coat. Jains Joplin gave me that coat".

The Hatter sighed, taking off her hat, scarf, and coat, passing it to Valerie, "Please be careful with my hat. An old friend gave it to me and I promised I would take care of it".

"But you can't jump!" Valerie cried, shaking her head.

"If it's any consolation, Valerie," the Doctor said looking at her, "Right now, _I'm_ having kittens".

"Oh, you just can't help yourself," the Hatter shook her head, smiling.

"This Martha...she must mean an awful lot to you two," Bran said as the Doctor lowed himself half-way out of the car.

"We hardly know her," the Hatter said, looking down at the floor.

"I was too busy showing off," the Doctor admitted, avoiding looking anyone in their eyes, "And I lied to her. Couldn't help it, just lied".

"And I went along with it," the Hatter sighed.

"Bye then!" the Doctor let go of the car, dropping onto the top of the next, looking up at the Hatter, "Trust me!"

"I already do!" she yelled down, giving Valerie and Bran a wink before dropping down herself and landing in the Doctor's arms, "Brilliant catch, Doctor".

He let her get back to her feet and sonic the next car's hatch, dropping down and helping the Hatter to climb down before he started working on that car's hatch in the white floor.

"Capsule open".

"Who the hell are you?" a man, white from head to foot, demanded.

"Sorry, we're Motorway Foot Patrol," the Hatter said pulling down the scarf to give him a smile, "We're just doing a survey. So, how are you enjoying your Motorway?"

"Well, not very much," the man admitted, "Junction Five's been closed for three years!"

"Thank you," the Doctor said, pulling the bottom panel off as the Hatter joined him, "You're comments have been noted. Have a nice day!"

They continued jumping from car to car like this until they reached a car with a man dressed in a black, pin-striped suit with a bowler hat, "Scuse me, is that legal?" he demanded, spinning around.

"Sorry, Motorway Foot Patrol," the Doctor said before coughing as the Hatter landed beside him, whizzing and coughing, "Whatever. Have you got any water?"

"Certainly," the man nodded, filling a cone-shaped plastic cup for them both and handing them both to the Doctor, "Never let it be said I've lost my manners".

The Doctor past one cup to the Hatter who took it gratefully before drinking his own cup, "Is this the last layer?" he asked, rubbing the Hatter's back.

"Ah, we're right at the bottom," the man nodded, "Nothing below us but the fast lane".

"Can we drive down?" the Hatter asked, over her coughing, "I mean, there's three of us..."

The man made a face, "We could, yes, but I won't".

The Doctor shook his head at him, "If you'll excuse me," he crouching down to the bottom panel, flashing it with his sonic, the Hatter flipping the panel to the side.

"You can't jump!" the man cried, "It's a thousand feet!"

"Don't worry," the Hatter said over her shoulder, "We're just looking".

The Doctor and the Hatter stared down, trying to see through the thick, fog that was dotted with tiny lights, just visible. Suddenly there was a loud screech that turned into a roar, echoing up to them.

"What was that?" the Hatter frowned.

"I try not to think about it," the man admitted, swallowing hard.

"What are those lights?" the Doctor frowned, swatting a hand in front of him to try and clear the smog, "What's down there?" he coughed, "I just need to _see_".

"I have an idea," the Hatter suddenly said, reaching into the Doctor's jacket and pulled the sonic out before heading over to the screen, "There has to be some sort of ventilation down there," she explained at the confused looks she was getting as she flashed the screen, "If I can just transmit a pulse through this, I will be able to trip the system, give us a breeze," she suddenly grinned as her plan worked, "Oh, sometimes I really love being right".

"Oh, I could kiss you!" the Doctor beamed, quickly hugging her, "Brilliant, just brilliant!"

"Anyone could have thought of that," the Hatter shrugged but she was blushing all the same, "And as for you first statement...maybe when your older".

"What are those shapes?" the man asked as they crowed around the opening, staring at the bottom. The smog had cleared to reveal massive, snapping, black claws.

"They're alive," the Doctor breathed as the Hatter gave a gasp as she recognized what they were looking at.

"What the hell are they?"

"There Macra," the Hatter breathed, "The Macra used to be the scourge of this galaxy," she explained, "Gas. They fed off gas, the filthier the better. They built up small empire using humans as there slaves and mining gas for food".

"They don't exactly look like empire-builders to me," the man remarked.

"Well, that was billions of years ago," the Doctor shrugged, "Billions. They must've devolved down the years. And now they're just beasts".

"But they're still hungry," the Hatter sighed, "And our friends somewhere down there".

Above them there was a loud clank making them look up.

"Oh, it's like New Time Square in here, for goodness's sake!" the man exclaimed as a pair of legs dangled down the opening, the Doctor and the Hatter had used to entire, before someone dressed in a grey habit dropped down.

"We've invented a sport!" the Doctor grinned, nudging the Hatter who shook her head at him.

"Doctor, Hatter, you're hard people to find," a woman with slightly greying cat face smiled at them.

"No guns!" the man pointed at the gun the woman was holding, "I'm not having guns!"

"I knew I liked you," the Hatter remarked to the man.

"I only brought this in case of pirates," the woman replied, "Doctor, Hatter, you've got to come with me".

"I'm sorry but who are you?" the Hatter asked, turning to the Doctor, "And do you know her?"

"Do I know you?" the Doctor frowned.

"You haven't aged at all," the woman smiled at him, "Time has been less kind to me".

"Novice Hame!" the Doctor grinned, hugging her, "No, hold on, get off," he let go of her and moved away, "Last time we met; you were breeding humans for experimentation".

"Lovely," the Hatter remarked, frowning.

"I've sought forgiveness," Hame said, "For so many years, under his guidance. And if you come with me, I might finally be able to redeem myself".

"We're not going anywhere," the Doctor shook his head, moving to stand in front of the Hatter, "You've got Macra living underneath this city. Macra! And if our friend's still alive, she's stuck down there!"

"You've got to come with me right now!"

"No, no, no, you're coming with us," the Doctor shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Doctor, Hatter. But the situation is even worse than you can imagine," she grabbed the Doctor's wrist and the Hatter's before hitting a device on her own wrist, "Transport".

"No!" the Hatter shouted at the same time as the Doctor shouted, "Don't you dare! Don't you dare!"

But she had already hit the device. They disappeared in a flash of light, reappearing in a large room, streams of sunlight the only light.

"Oh!" the Doctor groaned, picking himself up from the dusty floor as the Hatter did the same, "Rough teleport. Ow. But you can go straight back down and teleport people out, starting with Martha".

"She only had power for one trip," the Hatter sighed, "I noticed when she touched her device but why she didn't use a fully charged one is a mystery to me".

"Where are we?" the Doctor frowned, looking around.

"High above, in the over city," Hame said.

"Good!" the Doctor nodded but the Hatter frowned, something wasn't right, "'Cos you can tell the Senate of New New York I'd like a word. They've got thousands of people trapped on the Motorway! Millions!"

"Doctor, I think we're in the Senate, right now," the Hatter said, looking closer around the room, trying to see through the dark.

"May the goddess Santori bless them," Hame breathed, touching the device on her wrist again, turning all of the lights on to show rows and rows of skeletons throughout the chamber, "They died, Doctor, Hatter. The city died".

"How long has it been like this?" the Hatter asked as the Doctor knelt beside a skeleton on the ground.

"Twenty-four years," Hame replied.

"All of them?" the Doctor asked Hame, "Everyone? What happened?"

"A new chemical," Hame explained, "A new mood. They called it Bliss," she knelt down and peeled a small token off the skeleton with the word 'Bliss,' on it, "Everyone tried it. They couldn't stop. A virus mutated inside the compound and become airborne. Everyone perished...even the virus, in the end. It killed the world in seven minutes flat. There was just enough time to close down the walkways and the flyovers, sealing off the under-city. Those people on the Motorway aren't lost. They were saved".

"Oh, so that's it," the Hatter said, realising something, "Everything down there is running on automatic".

"There's not enough power to get them out," Hame sighed, "We did all we could to stop the system from chocking".

"Hang on, you said 'we,'" the Hatter frowned, "Who's 'we?'"

"And how did you survive," the Doctor added.

"He protected me," Hame smiled, only adding to the Doctor and the Hatter's confusion, "And he has waited for you both, these long years".

"Doctor," a voice called from somewhere, "Hatter".

The Doctor's eyes widened as he grabbed the Hatter's hand and pulled her towards the voice, he dashed over to the glass casing and crouched in front of it.

"You have to be kidding me," the Hatter gasped, moving beside the Doctor, "The Face of Boe".

"I knew you would come," Boe said.

"Back in the old days, I was made his nurse, as penance for my sins," Hame explained to the Hatter.

"Old friend, what happened to you?" the Doctor asked sadly.

"Failing," he replied as the Doctor placed his hand onto the glass.

"He protected me from the virus by shrouding me in his smoke," Hame told them, "But with no one to maintain it, the city's power died. The under-city would have fallen into the sea".

"He saved them," the Hatter smiled slightly.

"The Face of Boe wired himself into the mainframe," Hame nodded, "He's giving his life force just to keep things running".

"But there are planets out there," the Doctor pointed out, "You could have called for help".

"The last act of the Senate was to declare New Earth unsafe. The automatic quarantine last for one hundred years".

"So the two of you stayed here," the Hatter sighed as the Doctor stood, "On your own, for all these years".

"We had no choice," Hame told her.

"Yes, you did," the Doctor touched Hame's shoulder.

"Save them, Doctor," Boe pleaded with them, "Please save them, Hatter".

"You don't even have to ask," the Hatter told him, placing a hand on the glass.

...

"Car Four Six Five Diamond Six," the Doctor read with his glasses on as he and the Hatter looked at a screen, searching for Martha's car, "It still registers! That's Martha! I knew she was good!"

"Says the man who wanted to send her home after one trip," the Hatter rolled her eyes as she connected some wirers, "I hope you realise that this trip doesn't count seeing as she was kidnapped for most of it".

"Fine, whatever you want," the Doctor waved over his shoulder to her before turning to Hame, "Novice Hame, hold that in place," he jumped away from the screens, handing her a thick piece of cable before running along it and over to a box with buttons and lights on the top, "Think, think, think. Take the residual energy, invert it, feed it through the electricity beds..."

"There isn't enough power," Hame remained him.

He grabbed the Hatter and pulled her over to the far wall that had two computer screens and wiring all over the place, "Ah, you've got power! You've got me! But more importantly, we have the Hatter!" he grinned at the Hatter who rolled her eyes, "And she's absolutely brilliant with computers. Better than me and that's saying something".

"We're very modest today," the Hatter remarked as the Doctor left her to get to work.

"Hame, every switch on that bank, up to maximum!" the Doctor turned a knob in the consol floor, using his sonic at the same time, "We can't power up the city, but all the city needs is people," he banged his fist onto the console as he jumped up, "Hatter?"

"Yeah, but..." she started to say only to be cut off.

"So what are you going to do?" Hame asked.

"This!" he flipped a switch on the floor only for all of the lights to go out, "No, no, no, no, no, no!" he knelt on the floor and started sonic it as the Hatter knelt beside him.

"The transformers are blocked, Doctor," the Hatter sighed, patting him on his arm, "I tried to warn you. The signal can't get through. I'm sorry".

"Doctor..." Boe called out, "Hatter..."

"Yeah, hold on, now," the Doctor said over his shoulder as he got the Hatter to steady a piece of wirer.

"I give you my last..." Boe let out a long, rasping breath and suddenly the console switched back on. The Doctor jumped to his feet, pulling the Hatter with him looking pleased.

"Hame, look after him!" the Doctor told her, pulling the Hatter along with him, "Don't you go dying on me, you big old face. You've still got to see this," he flicked a switch and the lights shown brighter, "The open road. Hah!"

The Hatter and the Doctor grinned just as the Hatter remembered something, dashing back over to the computer she typed something in and picked up the transmitter, "Sorry everyone, but Sally Calypso was just a hologram. I'm the Hatter and the man in the brown suit is the Doctor," she gestured over her shoulder to him, "Now I need everyone to drive up. Right now. Don't worry; we've opened the roof of the Motorway. Come on ladies and gentlemen! Drive up as fast as you can, please. Just drive up. All of you, the whole under-city. We need to clear that fast lane people. Quickly as you can. Alright, now, Car Four Six Five Diamond Six! Martha Jones! Drive up! You've got access to above! Hurry!"

She passed the Doctor the transmitter as she started checking that the power would hold while the Doctor looked outside the window, watching the cars flying off, "You keep driving, Brannigan, all the way up! 'Cos it's here, just waiting for you. The city of New New York. And it's yours. And don't forget...I want that coat back".

"Don't forget my hat, scarf, and coat either," the Hatter said, standing beside the Doctor looking outside.

"I reckon that's a fair bargain, sir, ma'am," Bran replied over the receiver.

"And Car Four Six Five Diamond Six," the Hatter added, "I just sent you a flight path. Come to the Senate".

"On my way!" Martha called back.

"It's been quite a while since we saw you last, Martha Jones," the Doctor grinned.

Suddenly, Hame called out to them, "Doctor! Hatter!"

They turned to see that the glass around the Face of Boe had started to crack before it shattered.

...

"Doctor?" the Doctor, the Hatter, Hame, and Boe heard Martha's voices call as she entered the Senate, "Hatter?"

"Over here," the Hatter called over her shoulder.

"Hatter!" Martha smiled as she came running into the room, "What happened out there?" she paused when she saw the Face of Boe and Hame, "What's that?"

"It's the Face of Boe," the Doctor said with one arm around the Hatter as they knelt beside Boe, "It's alright. Come and say hello. And this is Hame. She's a cat. Don't worry".

"The Face of Boe is the one who saved you," the Hatter smiled sadly as Martha knelt beside Hame, "Not us".

"My lord gave his life to save the city," Hame explained, close to tears, "And now he's dying".

"No, don't say that," the Doctor shook his head as the Hatter patted his leg, knowing how hard it was to see an old friend die, "Not old Boe. Plenty of life left".

"It's good to breathe the air once more," Boe said taking a deep breath.

"Who is he?" Martha asked.

"I don't even know," the Doctor shook his head and looked at the Hatter, "What about you?"

"I have my theories," the Hatter said thoughtfully before turning to Martha, "Legend says the Face of Boe has lived for billions of years".

"Isn't that right?" the Doctor nodded, "And you're not going to give up now".

"Everything has its time," Boe said, looking at them, "You both know that, old friends, better than most," his eyes travelled to the Hatter, "In fact you once told me that and I have always remembered".

"I feel honoured," she said honestly.

"The legend says more," Hame said quietly.

"Don't," the Doctor shook his head, taking the Hatter's hand and gripping it tightly, "There's no need for that".

"It says that the Face of Boe will speak his final secret to two travellers".

"Yeah, but not yet," the Doctor said, reminding the Hatter slightly of when he was a child, "Who needs secrets, eh?"

"Doctor, please," the Hatter said gently, "You can't always fight, sometimes you just have to let go".

The Doctor sighed and nodded.

"I have seen so much," Boe told them, "Perhaps too much. I am the last of my kind, as you are the last of yours, the Doctor and the Hatter".

"That's why we have to survive," the Doctor pleaded, "The three of us. Don't go".

"I must. But know this, Time Lords. Your are not alone".

The Face of Boe closed his eyes for the last time, the Doctor and the Hatter stared at him, trying to understand what he meant as Hame burst into tears. The Doctor sighed and dropped his head onto the Hatter's shoulder as she did the same to him.

"The Universe will be a much darker place without him tonight," the Hatter sighed, wiping a tear away as Martha stood, "And the sad thing is that no one will ever know what he did for this planet and probably thousands more".

...

They walked back through the street they had first arrived in but this time it was deserted, everyone had closed down and headed for above.

"All closed down," the Doctor remarked.

"Happy?" Martha asked having been told what happened after she was kidnapped.

"Happy happy," the Doctor grinned, making them laugh, "New New York can start again. And they've got Novice Hame. Just what every city needs, cats in charge! Come on, time we were off".

"But what did he mean, the Face of Boe?" Martha asked as the Doctor and the Hatter started walking off while she stood there, "'You're not along'".

"We're not sure," the Hatter sighed turning back around.

"You've got me," Martha smiled as them, moving closer, "Is that what he meant?"

The Doctor shook his head, fighting to stop himself from smiling, "I don't think so. Sorry".

"Then what?" Martha frowned.

"Doesn't matter," the Doctor said, "Back to the TARDIS, off we go," he took the Hatter's hand and started to walk off but Martha had other ideas, she grabbed a fallen chair and sat on it, crossing her arms and legs as the Doctor turned back, "Alright, you staying?"

"'Till you talk to me properly, yes," Martha said, "He said 'last of you kind'. What does that mean?"

"Doctor..." the Hatter began but she was cut off.

"It really doesn't matter," the Doctor shook his head.

"You don't talk. You never say! Why not?" Martha asked as soft music filled the air, "It's the city. They're singing".

"I lied to you," the Doctor admitted.

"We both did," the Hatter sighed, "And I'm so sorry that we did. Because...we could pretend in a way. Just for a moment, we could imagine they were still alive, underneath that burnt orange sky. Most of them anyway. Something's you just can't pretend no matter how much you wish you could".

Martha's expression changed to shook and blinked a few times.

"We're not just Time Lords," the Doctor swallowed, leaning his head on the Hatter's shoulder again, "We're the last of the Time Lords. The Face of Boe was wrong. There's no one else".

"What happened?" Martha breathed, looking in between them.

The Doctor grabbed another chair and made the Hatter sit while he stood behind her.

"There was a war," the Hatter began, "The same one I mention my children being killed in. It was called the Last Great Time War. Our people fought a terrible race called the Daleks for the sake of all creation. And they lost".

"They lost...everyone lost," the Doctor nodded as the Hatter took a deep breath, "They're all gone now. Our family, our friends, even that sky. Oh, you should have seen it, that old planet".

"The second sun would rise in the south and the mountains would shine!" the Hatter smiled with tears in her eyes, "The leaves on the trees were silver, and when they caught the light every morning, it looked like the forest was on fire..."

"When the autumn came, the breeze would blow through the branches like a song..."

The great city of New New York sang while the last children of Gallifrey told of their home, not yet knowing what the next adventure would bring...

_**I hope you liked it, this is my Christmas gift to everyone who has reviewed/favourite/or alerted both my stories, also my story about the Doctor and the Hatter as kids, you have no idea how happy it makes me when people do that, so thank you. I will try to update before the end of the year but if I don't I wish everyone a happy New Year. Tell me what you thought, please review :)**_


	8. Chapter 8 Daleks in Manhattan part 1

_**Daleks in Manhattan part 1**_

"Where are we?" Martha asked, stepping out of the TARDIS after they materialized in front of a stone wall, the Doctor and the Hatter following behind her.

"Ah, smell that Atlantic breeze," the Doctor said, taking a deep breath as the Hatter did the same, "Nice and cold. Lovely. Martha, have you met my friend?" he looked behind him to where the Statue of Liberty was standing proudly.

"Is that...oh my God!" Martha exclaimed, "That's the Statue of Liberty!"

"Gateway to the new world," the Hatter smiled at how happy Martha looked, "'Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to break free..."

"That's so brilliant," Martha grinned, "I've always wanted to go to New York. I mean the real New York, not the new, new, new, new, new..."

The Doctor nodded, walking to the edge of the island, taking in the view of the city before them, "Well, there's the genuine article. So good, they named it twice. Mind you, it was New Amsterdam originally. Harder to say twice".

"No wonder it didn't catch on," the Hatter nodded, "New Amsterdam, New Amsterdam...it just doesn't have the right ring to it".

"I wonder what year it is 'cos look, the Empire State Building's not even finished yet," Martha wondered.

"Work in progress," the Doctor said, "Still got a couple floors to go, and, if I know my history, that makes the date somewhere around..."

"November 1st, 1930," the Hatter and Martha both said in unison, Martha having read it off the newspaper she was holding.

"You're getting good at this," the Doctor turned to Martha and smiled only to see the paper.

"Eighty years ago," Martha said shaking her head as the Doctor took the paper and held in between him and the Hatter "It's funny 'cos you see all those old newsreels in black and white like it's so far away, but here we are," she looked up to them, "It's real. It's now," she laughed, "Come on, you two. Where do we go first?"

"I think our detour just got longer," the Hatter remarked as the Doctor held the paper up.

"'Hooverville Mystery Deepens,'" Martha read the headline, "What's Hooverville?"

...

"Herbert Hoover, 31st president of the USA, came to power a year ago," the Hatter explained as they strolled through Central Park as they made their way to Hooverville, "Up till then New York was boom town, the Roaring Twenties, and then..."

"The Wall Street Crash, yeah?" Martha asked as the Doctor linked his arm through the Hatter's, "When was that, 1929?"

"Yeah," the Doctor nodded, "Whole economy wiped out overnight. Thousands of people unemployed. Suddenly the huddled masses doubled in number with nowhere to go".

"So they ended up in Central Park," the Hatter sighed sadly.

"What? They actually live in the park? In the middle of the city?"

They arrived at Hooerville, tents, small shacks set up all around them with people walking around, going on with their lives.

"Ordinary people," the Doctor sighed, "Lost their jobs. Couldn't pay the rent and they lost everything".

"There are people like this all over America," the Hatter said sympathetically, "You only come to Hooverville when there's nowhere else to go".

They walked on in silence until two men up ahead started shouting at each other, "You thieving' lowlife!" one of the men shouted, punching the other man as people tried to break them apart, "You stole my loaf!"

"Doctor, we should stop them," the Hatter murmured to him, going to step forward only for him to stop her.

"Oh, no you don't," he told her sternly, "You'll get yourself hurt rushing in there and I made a promises to you to always be there for you".

"We were still in school when you made that promise," the Hatter pointed out, "But we can't just stand here and watch two men fight over bread".

"I don't think we'll have to," Martha cut in, pointed over to an older man who was stepping out of his tent and over to the still fighting men.

"Cut that out!" the older man shouted but he was ignored, "Cut that out! Right now!" he pushed them apart.

"He stole my bread!" the first man pointed at the other man.

"That's enough!" the older man glared at them before turning to the second man, "Did you take it?"

"I don't know what happened," the second man shook his head but it was obvious that he was lying, "He just went crazy".

The first man lunged at him but was held back.

"That's enough!" the older man said loudly, turning to the second man, "Now think real carful before you lie to me".

"He reminds me a little of my seventh self," the Hatter remarked to the Doctor, "I could spot someone lying to me without looking at them".

"I'm starvin', Solomon," the second man admitted.

Solomon held his hand out; the man looked at the groaned and pulled the bread out of his coat, handing it over, "We're all starvin'," Solomon broke the bread in half, "We all got families somewhere," he passed both men half, "No stealin' and no fighting. You know the rules. Thirteen years ago I fought in the Great War. A lot of us did. And the only reason we got through was because we stuck together! No matter how bad things get, we still act like human beings. It's all we got".

The two men nodded and walked away, the rest of the crowed slowly disappeared and the Doctor leaned closer to the Hatter's ear, "I see what you mean about your seventh self," he remarked.

"It's a very odd feeling," the Hatter nodded before shaking her head, "But there's more important things to be talking about".

"Right, come on," the Doctor nodded, leading the way over to Solomon, "I suppose that makes you the boss around here".

"And, uh, who might you be?" Solomon asked, looking them over.

"He's the Doctor, she's the Hatter, and I'm Martha," Martha introduced before the Doctor could.

"A doctor?" Solomon raised his eyebrows, "Well, we got, uh, stockbrokers, we got a lawyer, but you're the first doctor," he turned to the Hatter, "We've only got one other hat maker to".

"Oh, I don't actually make hats," the Hatter shook her head, "I just love wearing them. I guess you could say that if it's anything to do with science, medicine, or just about anything else, that's me".

"A scientist," Solomon nodded, warming his hands over the fire, "Neighbourhood gets classier by the day".

"How many people live here?" Martha asked, looking around.

"At any one time, hundreds," Solomon shrugged, "No place else to go. But I will say this about Hooeville. We are a truly equal society, black, white, all the same. All starving," he laughed without any humour, "So you're welcome. All three of you. But tell me this, Doctor, Hatter, as a man and woman of learning...explain this to me," he pointed over to the Empire State Building, towering above them, "That there's going to be the tallest building in the world. How come they can do that, and we got people starving in the heart of Manhattan?"

The Doctor, the Hatter, and Martha exchanged looks.

...

Solomon threw his coffee dregs on the fire as the Doctor, the Hatter, and Martha approached him after taking a walk around Hooerville in the hopes of working the mystery out themselves.

"So...men going missing," the Doctor said, holding the newspaper up, "Is this true?"

Solomon glanced at them, taking the newspaper and sighing, "It's true alright," he gestured with his head for them to follow him as he entered his tent.

"But the thing that's confusing me is what you mean by missing," the Hatter frowned as they stood in the entrance to the tent, watching Solomon sit down, "Men and woman for that matter must come and go all the time. I highly doubt that anyone's keeping a register".

"C'mon in," Solomon waved them in, they quickly took seats, the Doctor beside Solomon and Martha and the Hatter sat across from them, "This is different".

"In what way?" Martha asked.

Solomon paused for a moment, "Someone takes them. At night. We hear something. Someone calls out for help. By the time we get there, they're gone. Like they vanish into thin air".

"And you're sure someone's taking them?" the Doctor asked as the Hatter frowned.

"Doctor, when you got next to nothing, you hold on to the little you got," Solomon said making the Doctor's eyes flicker to the Hatter but only Martha noticed, sighing, "Your knife, blanket, you take it with you. You don't leave bread uneaten, fire still burning".

"Have you spoken to the police?" the Hatter questioned.

"Yeah, we tried that," Solomon shook his head, "Another deadbeat goes missing, big deal".

"So, the question is, who's taking them and what for?" The Doctor said thoughtfully.

"Solomon," a young man called, sticking his head inside the tent, "Solomon, Mr. Diagoras is here".

Solomon quickly stood and walked out, the Doctor, the Hatter, and Martha exchanged looks and followed. Standing outside there was a man, dressed in the typical suit and hat, hair slicked back, standing beside two other men dressed in less expensive suites.

"I need men," Mr. Diagoras was saying to the crowed, "Volunteers. I got a little work for you and you sure look like you can use the money".

"Yeah," the young man who had informed them about Mr. Diagoras asked, "What is the money?"

"A dollar a day".

The crowed scoffed and grumbled as Solomon stepped forward, "What's the work?"

"A little trip down the sewers," Mr. Diagoras explained, "Got a tunnel that collapsed needs clearing and fixing. Any takers?"

"A dollar a day?" Solomon scoffed as the crowds shook their heads and contoured to grumble, "That's slave wage. Men don't always come back up, do they?"

"Accidents happen," Diagoras tried to wave it off.

"Hang on," the Hatter called, raising her hand, "When you say accidents, what do you mean? What sort of accidents?"

"You don't need the work?" Diagoras glared at her, the Doctor stepped closer putting a hand on her shoulder, "That's fine. Anybody else?" the Doctor raised his other hand, "Enough with the questions".

"Oh, n-n-no," the Doctor shook his head, "I'm volunteering".

The Hatter raised her own hand, "What girl doesn't love a trip down the sewer? Count me in".

Martha looked in-between them and sighed, "I'll kill you both for this," she grumbled, raising her hand as Solomon and the young man did the same.

...

"Turn left," Diagoras told them as they stood at the bottom of the ladder in the sewer. It was dark, dingy, wet, exactly how the Hatter was expecting it to look, "Go about half a mile. Follow Tunnel 273. Fall's right ahead of you. You can't miss it".

"And when do we get our dollar?" the young boy asked, the Hatter noticed that he had a southern accent.

"When you come back up," Diagoras stated.

"And if we don't come back up?" the Doctor asked, eyeing him.

"Then I got no one to pay," he said simply.

"I don't think you're going to have to worry about us, Mr. Diagoras," the Hatter smiled, "We'll be back".

"Let's hope so," Martha remarked.

"Oh, cheer up, Martha Jones," the Hatter nudged her shoulder as she started walking off down the tunnel with the Doctor, "Happy thoughts, happy thoughts".

"You're nervous," the Doctor whispered, putting an arm around her.

"I don't trust Diagoras," the Hatter nodded, glancing over her shoulder "He reminds me a little too much of my ex-husband and that's never a good sign".

"He'll have to come through me if he tries to hurt you," the Doctor said making the Hatter raise her eyebrows at him.

"I think I can take care of myself, Doctor," she told him, "I did spend two hundred years doing just that and that's not to mention when I was travailing".

The Doctor shifted slightly, "If you had told me when he first hit you…"

"Then you would never have left and fulfilled your dreams," the Hatter cut him off, "I know how your mind works…most of the time anyway, besides I was never going to get in the way of your dreams".

"What about your own dreams?"

"Just knowing that you were out there, travelling, was good enough for me," she shrugged, "And it's not like I just sat around all day and did nothing with myself. I worked, I invited things, and I even went back and spent twenty years at the Academy. It may not have been as fun as the first time but I did learn quite a bit".

"We just gotta stick together," the young man's voices, Frank, carried back to them as he spoke to Martha, "It's easy to get lost. It's like a huge rabbit warren. You could hide an army down here".

"Well, let's hope that's not the case," the Hatter called to them, the Doctor still looking as if he wanted to continue there talk, knowing him he would, "This time. I've lost count on how many times that's happened to me".

"So what about you, Frank?" Martha asked, "You're not from around these parts, are you?"

"Oh, you could talk," Frank laughed, "No, no, I'm from Tennessee, born and bred".

"So how come you're here?"

"Uh, my daddy died," Frank sighed, "Mama…couldn't afford to feed us all. So, I'm the oldest, up to me to feed myself, so put on my coat, hitched up here on the railroads. There's a whole lot of runaways in the camp younger them me. From all over…Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas…Solomon keeps a lookout for us. So, what about you? You're a long way from home".

"Yeah, I'm just a hitcher too," Martha nodded.

"You stick with me, you'll be alright".

"So this Diagoras bloke, who is he?" the Doctor asked Solomon.

"A couple of months ago, he was just another foreman," Solomon explained, "Not it seems like he's running mot of Manhattan".

"How did he do that?" the Hatter frowned.

"These are strange times. A man can go from being King of the Hill to the lowest of the low overnight. It's just for some folks it works the other way 'round".

"Typical," the Hatter sighed.

"Whoa!" the Doctor suddenly stopped, putting an arm in front of the Hatter to stop her from walking as he stared down at a sickly purple blob on the floor, an odd green light coming off it.

"Is it radioactive or something?" Martha asked, stepping forward as the Doctor and the Hatter knelt down, looking closely. The Doctor passed his torch to the Hatter, "It's gone off, whatever it is," Martha grimaced, covering her mouth and nose with her hand. The Doctor slipped his glasses on, picking the blob up, "And you've got to pick it up".

"At least he didn't lick it," the Hatter shrugged, "Or though, I wouldn't put it past him to do that".

The Doctor shook his head at her and made a big show of sniffing it.

"Don't be cheeky," the Hatter twinged his nose.

"Shine the touch through it," he said to the Hatter, holding the blob up as she did as he asked, "Composite organic matter," they both said.

"Martha, medical opinion?" the Hatter looked over to her.

"It's not human," Martha shook her head, still covering her nose, "I know that".

The Doctor held the blob under the Hatter's nose, "Hatter?"

She made a face and carefully took it, examining it for a moment, "I've seen this before. I'm not sure when but I know I have…we need to set up a scanner, shouldn't be too hard to build".

The Doctor frowned slightly, taking the blob, slipping it inside his coat and standing, "I'll tell you something. We must be at least half a mile in and I don't see any sign of a collapse, do you? So why did Mr Diagoras send us down here?"

"So where are we now?" Martha asked, looking up, "What's above us?"

"The city of Manhattan," the Hatter said, also looking up.

…

"We're far beyond half a mile," Solomon said as they continued to make their way down the tunnel, looking around, "There's no collapse, nothing".

"That Diagoras bloke, was he lying?" Martha frowned.

"It would seem that way, yes," the Hatter sighed, "I said he remained me of my husband".

"Ex-husband," the Doctor corrected, the Hatter blinked at him, taken back by the slight edge to his voices.

"So why did he want people to come here?" Frank asked, glancing between the Doctor and the Hatter.

"Solomon, I think it's time you took these three back," the Doctor said with a nodded to Martha, Frank, and the Hatter, "I'll be much quicker on my own".

The Hatter went to arguer but was cut off by a squeal, coming from down the tunnel.

"What the hell was that?" Solomon gasped, staring down the dark tunnel.

"Hello?" Frank called.

"Shh," Martha hissed as the Hatter narrowed her eyes to try and see.

"Frank..."Solomon said in a warning tone.

"What if it's one of the folk gone missing?" Frank defended himself, "You'd be scared, half-mad down here on your own".

"You do have a point, Frank," the Hatter nodded, "But do you think they're still alive?"

"Heck, we ain't seen no bodies down here," Frank said, sounding hopeful, "Maybe they just got lost".

"I know I never heard nobody make a sound like that," Solomon remarked as another squeal sounded.

"Sounds like there's more than one of 'em," Frank said, looking around.

"It's coming from this way," the Hatter said, gesturing down the tunnel, taking a step forward only for the Doctor to bet her to it, "Why don't you just handcuff me to the TARDIS consol and go off, having adventures why I sit there".

"Brilliant idea," the Doctor grinned over his shoulder at her.

"Funny," the Hatter rolled her eyes.

"It's coming from over there," Solomon cut in, shining his touch down another tunnel, revealing a figure huddled on the ground.

"Doctor, Hatter!" Martha called, the Doctor and the Hatter quickly rejoined the group, forgetting there earlier banter.

"Who are you?" Solomon asked, frowning at the figure.

"Are you lost?" Frank tried when Solomon received no answer, moving forward but the Hatter stopped him, "Can you understand me? I've been thinkin' about folk lost..."

"Frank, best not," the Hatter patted his shoulder, stepping in front of him, "Let the Doctor and I handle it," she gave the Doctor a pointed look at this, "If he'll let me, that is".

"He's got a point, though, my mate Frank," the Doctor said, moving closer towards the figure, ignoring the Hatter's last remark, "I'd hate to be stuck down here on my own," the figure gave another squeal, "We know the way out. Daylight. If you want to come with us..." he crouched down, the Hatter did the same beside him, and shone his light to show a man with the face of a pig, "Oh, but what are you?"

"Is, uh, that some kind if carnival mask?" Solomon asked, sounding a bit hopeful.

"I wish," the Hatter sighed, reaching her hand out but the Doctor pulled it back, "I'm afraid it's real. Very real. I'm so, so, sorry, I really am. Now please listen to me, I promise we can help," she gestured to the Doctor with her free hand as the Doctor was still holding onto her other one, "But you need to tell us who did this to you?"

"Doctor, Hatter, I think you'd better get back here," Martha called, sounding fearful as a group of Pigmen appeared, coming from the opposite end of the tunnel, "Doctor, Hatter!"

The Doctor and the Hatter jumped back up, staring at the Pigmen, "Actually...good point..." the Doctor said, slowly backing away with the Hatter towards the others.

"Well, that's cheating," the Hatter muttered, eyeing the Pigmen closely.

"They're following you," Martha gasped, eyeing them as they did indeed move closer to the Doctor and the Hatter.

"Yeah, we noticed that, thanks," the Doctor said sarcastically, grabbing the Hatter's hand, "Well then, Martha, Frank, Solomon..."

"What?" Martha asked, sounding nervous.

"Um, basically...run!" the Doctor shouted as they bolted back down the tunnel, Pigmen following close behind, Martha in the lead, until they reached a cross section making Martha stop.

"Where are we going?" Martha asked, frantically looking around the tunnel.

"This way!" the Doctor shouted as he and the Hatter run past her, off to the right, the Pigmen still in pursuit.

"Brilliant, love a ladder me!" the Hatter shouted as she spotted one up ahead, quickly taking her sonic out and climbed it, giving the manhole cover a quick sonic before opening it and climbing out. Martha followed, than the Doctor but Solomon hesitated as Frank picked a metal rode up

"Frank!" Solomon shouted before he started climbing the ladder. Frank looked back to see the others safe above the ladder before he dropped the rode and started climbing, "C'mon, Frank! C'mon!"

"I've got ya!" the Doctor reached down as Solomon and the Hatter did the same, "C'mon!"

Frank was half way up the ladder before the Pigmen grabbed his legs, pulling him back into the sewer.

"Frank!" Solomon shouted desperately.

"No!" both the Doctor and the Hatter shouted, moving to go back down but Solomon shoved them to the side, closing the lid before any of the Pigmen could climb up.

"We can't go after him," Solomon told them forcefully.

"We gotta go back down!" the Doctor tried.

"We can't just leave him, Solomon!" the Hatter also tried, "Who knows what might happen to him!"

"No, I'm not losing anybody else!" Solomon glared at them; yet again the Hatter was surprised at how much he's personality reminded her of her past self, with only slight differences, "Those creatures were from Hell! From Hell itself! If we go after them, they'll take us all! There's nothing we can do. I'm sorry".

"Alright then," a blonde woman suddenly jumped out from behind a shelf, holding a gun, "Put 'em up!" Martha quickly did as she was told while the Doctor pushed the Hatter behind his back, eyeing the gun. The Hatter rolled her eyes, shaking her head, she hadn't spent much time using a gun but she knew how to build them, she knew what a real gun looked like when she saw one, "Hands in the air and no funny business," the woman added, cocking the gun, making Solomon and the Doctor raise their hands while the Hatter did so with a smile, "Now tell me, you schmucks, what've you done with Lazlo?"

"Uh, who's Lazlo?" Martha asked after a moment of silences.

_**Sorry about taking so long to update, Christmas stuff, I know there wasn't very much Doctor/Hatter time but I promise that in the next few chapters there will be. If anyone's interested I have a link on my profile for what the Hatter looked like in her second regeneration and what she wore. At the moment the poll stands at 3 for yes, 2 for no, and 1 for a maybe, I will be taking the poll down on the 1**__**st**__**. Anyway, I hope you liked it, please review and tell me what you thought :)**_


	9. Chapter 9 Daleks in Manhattan part 2

_**Daleks in Manhattan part 2**_

"Lazlo's my boyfriend, or was my boyfriend until two weeks ago," the blonde woman explained as she sat in front of her mirror back in her dressing room, waving the gun around as they stood in the doorway, the Hatter leaning against the doorframe while Martha, the Doctor, and Solomon eyed the blonde, "No letter, no goodbye, no nothin'. And I'm not stupid," she waved the gun at them again, "I know some guys are just pigs but not my Lazlo. I mean, what kinda guy asks you to meet his mother before he vamooses?"

"It might...might just help if you put _that_ down," the Doctor suggested, giving the gun a pointed look.

"Huh?" the blonde blinked at him before looking at the gun still in hand, "Oh, sure," she shrugged, tossing it on a chair, the Doctor, Martha, and Solomon flinched back into the hallway as the Hatter watched them, amused, "Oh, c'mon. It's not real. It's just a prop. It was either that or a spear".

"Really, Doctor?" the Hatter shook her head, smiling, "You were the one to fight on the front line, I just built the weapons. Surly you could see that it was a fake?"

"What do you think happened to Lazlo?" Martha cut in before the Doctor could answer.

"I wish I knew," the woman sighed, "One minute he's there, the next, zip, vanished".

"Listen, ah...what's your name?" the Doctor asked.

"Tallulah".

"Tallulah..." the Doctor repented, nodding.

"3 Ls and an H".

"Right," the Doctor nodded slowly, "Um, we can try to find Lazlo, but he's not the only one. There are people disappearing every night".

"And there are creatures," Solomon breathed, shaking his head as the Hatter patted him on his shoulder, "Such creatures".

"Easy does it, Solomon," The Hatter told him gently.

"Whaddaya mean 'creatures?'" Tallulah frowned at Solomon.

"Look," the Doctor cut in, "Listen, just trust me," the Hatter cleared her throat, "Right, sorry Hatter. Trust us, everyone is in danger. We need to find out exactly what this is," he pulled the blob out of his pocket, "Because then we'll know exactly what we're fighting".

"Yech!" Tallulah leaned back, looking disgusted at the blob.

"My thoughts exactly," the Hatter remarked, nodding.

...

The Doctor and the Hatter searched throughout the props room, scavenging for equipment that they might find useful.

"How about this?" Solomon walked in, holding a small radio up for them to see, "I found it backstage".

"Brilliant," the Hatter grinned, taking it and examining it, "We just need the capacitors. Should be simple enough to rig up a crude DNA scanner. Haven't built one of these senses...oh, the war, I think? Anyway, if we can get a chromosomal reading, we'll find out where it's from," she pulled the back off it and used her sonic.

"How about you, Doctor, Hatter?" Solomon asked, eyeing them, "Where are you from? I've been all over; I've never heard anybody talk like the two of you. Just exactly who are you?"

"Oh, we're just passing by," the Doctor shrugged, blowing on a piece of equipment that the Hatter passed him.

"I'm not a fool, Doctor".

"No, you're not," the Hatter nodded, meeting his gaze, "Let's put it this way, Solomon, you wouldn't believe us if we told you".

Solomon eyed them for a moment before walking over to the sewer lid, sighing, "I was so scared, Doctor, Hatter. I let them take Frank 'cos I was just so scared. I gotta get back to Hooverville. With these creatures on the loose, we gotta protect ourselves. Ain't no one else gonna help us".

"Good luck," the Doctor and the Hatter called to him in unison.

"I hope you find what you're looking for," Solomon said to them, "For all our sakes".

The Doctor and the Hatter exchanged looks, watching as Solomon left, "He's right, Doctor," the Hatter sighed, "Whatever we're dealing with is obviously smart and usually smart and dangers don't mix," she frowned for a moment, "Okay, yes they do but it's never good".

"Is does when it involves you," the Doctor shot her a grin.

The Hatter rolled her eyes, leaning over and pinched his cheek, "Why must you always say such sweet things?"

"Because I'm sweet".

"We are modest today, aren't we?" the Hatter shook her head but couldn't help but smile at him, "Come on...sweetheart, we best scan this thing," she ruffled his hair before walking past him and out the door, "Coming?"

"If I'm a sweetheart, what does that make you?" the Doctor called after her, making her turn back around to look at him.

"That's up to you to decide," she shrugged before adding with a smile, "Sweetheart".

"Coming...dearest".

"No".

"I thought you said I get to chooses?"

"Yes...but I still have to agree, sweetheart".

"Beauty?"

"No, what are you trying to do? Make me sound...perfect?"

"But you _are_ perfect...Blossom?"

"Defiantly no and...Blossom? Really? Not a hope in the Universe".

"Then what?"

"Keep thinking, Doctor, keep thinking".

...

The Doctor and the Hatter stood on the balcony in the theatre, setting everything up while down below them, Tallulah's show went on, music carried up to them but they ignored it, focusing on the blob. They had already hooked is up to the scanner, the Doctor turning on a stage light and pointed it at the blob.

"Let's worm you up," the Doctor muttered, taking his glasses out and slipping them on, kneeling beside the Hatter who was examining the blob.

"I don't know why you both with wearing glasses when your eye sight if perfectly fine," the Hatter remarked, glancing at said glasses.

"You used to wear glasses," the Doctor pointed out.

"Yes, but my eyesight in my second regeneration was terrible," the Hatter shrugged, "I was almost blind without them".

"You could have gotten that fixed," the Doctor said before turning his gaze back down to the scanner, "It's artificial. Genetically engineered".

"I told you who ever created this are clever, very clever," the Hatter nodded.

The Doctor took his stethoscope out of his jacket, pressing it on to the blob, "Fundamental DNA type 467-989," the Hatter gasped, her eyes winding and she could feel herself on the verge of shacking, "989..."

"No, please, no..." the Hatter gasped, shaking her head, grabbing hold of the Doctor's suit jacket and clutching it tightly, "Not again, not now, please..."

"Hatter?" the Doctor frowned, noticing how pale she looked and that she was shaking, "Hatter, what's wrong? Tell me!"

"No, not now..." the Hatter breathed.

The Doctor grabbed her shoulders and pulled her into a hug, "Tell me what's wrong?"

"Look at the reading!" she breathed, her voices somewhat muffled into his jacket, "Look at them and tell me what the planet of origin is!"

The Doctor looked down at her, his concerned growing even more but he forced himself to look at the scanner, "Planet of origin...Skaro!" he gasped, kissing the Hatter on her forehead, knowing how scared she would be.

"Forget about me, Doctor, what about Martha?" the Hatter asked just as there was a scream from down below. The Doctor quickly let go of the Hatter as they jumped to their feet, the Hatter still shaking and pale but more concerned about Martha, and ran towards backstage area, the Doctor not letting go of the Hatter's hand for a moment.

When they reached backstage, all of the show girls were crowded around Tallulah, talking about something they had seen on the side of the stage, "Where is she?" the Doctor asked Tallulah frantically as they rushed over to her, "Where's Martha?"

"I don't know," Tallulah shook her head, "She ran off the stage".

The Hatter went to say something but was cut off by a scream, Martha's scream, coming from the props room.

"Brilliant," the Hatter groaned, letting go of the Doctor's hand and rushing off to the props room, the Doctor and Tallulah following close behind. When they reached the props room, the Hatter and the Doctor rushed over to the lid of the sewer but it was too late, the lid was askew and there was no sign of Martha.

The Doctor grabbed his coat, passing the Hatter's to her and they put them on, moving towards the lid.

"Oh, where you goin'?" Tallulah asked as she watched the Doctor start to climb followed by the Hatter.

"They've taken her," the Doctor muttered, focusing on climbing down.

"Who's taken her?" Tallulah frowned but she didn't get an answer, "What're y' doin'? I said, what the hell are ya doin'? Crazies," she watched them for a moment before she spotted a long coat on a coat rack and grabbed it, pulling it on and following after them down the ladder.

"No, no, no, no, no way," the Doctor frowned at her, seeing her climb down, "You're not coming".

"Tell me what's going on," Tallulah demanded.

"There's nothing you can do," the Doctor sighed, "Go back".

"Look, whoever's taken Martha, they could've taken Lazlo, couldn't they?"

"Well, I can't fight you on your logic," the Hatter remarked, the Doctor gave her a look, "Right, sorry, but you're really not safe down here, Tallulah. Trust us".

"Then that's my problem," Tallulah glared at them, "Come on. Which way?"

They watched as she turned and started walking down the left tunnel, the Doctor sighed and pulled his sonic out, scanning, "This way," he said, walking down the tunnel straight ahead, Tallulah hurry behind them to catch up.

...

"When you say 'They've taken her,' who's they exactly?" Tallulah asked as they continued down the tunnel, breaking the silence that had fallen over them, "And who are you anyway? I never asked".

"Shh..." the Hatter suddenly stopped, holding her hand up and closing her eyes, focusing on something, "Can't you hear that?"

"Huh?" Tallulah frowned, giving the Hatter an odd look.

The Doctor frowned, glancing around the tunnel when he to heard something from up ahead, "Shh, shh, shh," he muttered just as a shadow appeared on the wall just ahead of them, the very shadow that still haunted the Doctor and the Hatter's dreams.

"I mean you're handsome and all..." Tallulah continued not noticing the looks the Doctor and the Hatter had on their faces.

The Doctor clapped his hand over her mouth, putting an arm around the Hatter and pulled them both into an alcove just as a Dalek passed. The Doctor could feel the Hatter shacking as she took deep breaths, trying to calm herself down.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no," the Doctor breathed, shaking his head, "They survived. They always survive while I lose everything".

"You haven't lost everything, Doctor," the Hatter whispered to him, "Not while I'm still breathing".

"That's what I'm afraid of," the Doctor swallowed hard, closing his eyes for a moment, trying not to think about all of the times in the past that he had thought she had died, epically dewing the Time War, "The possibility of losing you..."

"What was that?" Tallulah questioned, cutting in, "That metal thing?"

"It's called a Dalek," the Hatter explained, still shaking all over, "And it's not just metal, it's alive, very alive".

"You're kidding me," Tallulah laughed.

"Does it look like she's kidding?" the Doctor snapped at her, glaring, "Inside that shell is a creature born to hate, whose only thought is to destroy everything and everyone that isn't a Dalek too".

"And it won't stop until every human being is dead," the Hatter added, taking deep breaths.

"But if it's not a human being, that kinda implies it's from outer space," Tallulah said, the Doctor and the Hatter looked at her, "Yet again, that's a 'no' with the kidding. Boy...well, what's it doin' here, in New York?"

The Doctor grabbed Tallulahs arm, pulling her down the tunnel with the Hatter, trying to find the ladder, "Every second you're down here, you're both in danger. I'm taking you back right now".

"Doctor..." the Hatter sighed as they turned a corner, stopping suddenly when they spotted a Pigman, but to the Hatter he looked more human than the other one's from earlier, he even had some hair. Tallulah screamed, making the Pigman run into a corner, hiding his face.

"Where's Martha?" the Doctor demanded, letting go of the Hatter and moving forward, "What have you done with her? What have you done with Martha?"

"Doctor..." the Hatter frowned, moving closer to try and look.

"I didn't take her," the Pigmen replied, making the Doctor blink in surprise while it confirmed what the Hatter had been thinking.

"Can you remember your name?" the Hatter asked gently, stepped forward and ignoring the Doctor's warning look.

"Don't look at me," he turned away from them again.

"Do you know where she is?" Tallulah asked, moving closer.

"Stay back!" he warned, making Tallulah stop, "Don't look at me!"

"What happened to you?" the Doctor asked, frowning.

"They made me into a monster," he told them.

"Who did?" the Doctor asked.

"The master," he nodded.

"The Daleks," the Doctor frowned, "Why?"

"They needed slaves," he explained, "They needed slaves to steal more people so they created us. Part animal, part human. I escaped before they got my mind, but it was still too late".

"I'm sorry," the Hatter sighed, "I really am but do you know what happened to Martha?"

"They took her. It's my fault. She was following me".

"Where you in the theatre?" Tallulah asked.

"Yes".

"Why?" Tallulah frowned, "Why were you there?"

"I never wanted you to see me like this".

"Why me?" Tallulah asked, taking a step forward, "What do I gotta do with this? Were you following me? Is that why you were there?"

He turned and faced her, "Yes".

"Who are you?" Tallulah breathed.

"I was lonely".

"Who are you?"

"I needed to see you," the Doctor glanced towards the Hatter; he knew that feeling all too well.

"Who are you?"

"I'm sorry," he turned away.

"No, wait," Tallulah reached out and court his arm, "Let me look at you..." she moved him closer to the light, taking his face in, "Lazlo?" he nodded and she gave a gasp, "My Lazlo?" her voices broke and tears started to fill her eyes, "Oh, what have they done to you?"

"I'm sorry," Lazlo apologized, "So sorry".

"Lazlo, I'm sorry to interrupted," the Hatter stepped forward, "But could you show us where they are? Please".

"They'll kill you".

"If we don't stop them, they'll kill everyone," the Doctor told them, putting an arm around the Hatter.

"Then follow me," Lazlo nodded and led them further down the tunnel, stopping at a small corner when they heard people talking, more Pigmen stood around them, on guard when they suddenly started squealing as if they were nervous about something.

"What're they doing?" Frank asked Martha, frowning, "What's wrong? What's wrong?"

Suddenly a Dalek glided into the tunnel, the Doctor grabbed the Hatter and held her to his chest as she started shacking again. He gently placed a kiss on the side of her head, "Silence!" the Dalek ordered, "Silence!"

Lazlo quickly ducked out of sight before the Dalek could see him.

"What the hell is that?" Martha breathed, eyeing the Dalek.

"You will form a line," the Dalek ordered, "Move".

The Pigmen started pushing all of the human's into a line, "Just do what it says everyone," Martha told them as some struggled, "Just obey".

"Clever girl," the Hatter whispered to the Doctor.

"The female is wise," the Dalek said, "Obey!"

Another Dalek entered the tunnel, "Report".

"These are strong specimens," the first Dalek reported, "They will help the Dalek cause. What is the status of the Final Experiment?"

"The Dalekanium is in place," the second Dalek said, "The energy conductor is now complete".

The Doctor and the Hatter exchanged looks.

"Then I will extract prisoners for selection," the first Dalek said, turning back to face the line of human's, one of the Pigmen pushed an older man forward. The Dalek extended its sucker like arm towards the man's face, scanning, "Intelligence scan. Initiate. Reading brain waves. Low intelligence".

"You calling me stupid?" the man glared.

"Silence!" the Dalek ordered, "This one will become a pig slave".

"No, let go of me!" the man shouted as he was dragged away by two Pigmen, "I'm not becoming one of them!"

The Dalek ignored him, moving onto the next person, "Intelligence scan. Initiate".

"They're divide into two groups," Lazlo explained to them, quietly, "High intelligence and low intelligence. The low intelligence are taken to become pig slaves like me".

"Well, that's not fair," Tallulah frowned.

"Shh," the Doctor and the Hatter shushed her.

"You're the smartest guy I ever dated," Tallulah continued on, quieter than before.

"What about the others?" the Hatter whispered.

"They're taken to the laboratory".

"Oh, I like a laboratory," the Hatter remarked, the Doctor noticed that some colour was started to come back into her face and she had stopped shaking.

"Not really the point, Hatter," the Doctor muttered before frowning, "Why? What for?"

"I don't know," Lazlo sighed, "The masters only call it the Final…Experiment".

"Superior intelligence," the Dalek said after scanning Frank, moving on to Martha who flinched back, "Intelligence scan. Initiate. Superior intelligence. This one will become part of the Final Experiment".

"You can't just experiment on people!" Martha shouted at the Dalek, "It's insane! It's inhuman!"

"We are not human. Prisoners of high intelligence will be taken to the transgenic laboratory".

"Look out, they're moving!" the Doctor pulled them back, making sure to place himself in front of the Hatter as they flatted themselves against the wall.

Lazlo grabbed Tallulah's hand, pulling her down the tunnel, "Doctor! Hatter! Quickly!"

The Doctor opened his mouth but the Hatter bet him to it, "We're not going," she called to them, giving the Doctor a pointed look, "I have an idea. You two go".

"Hatter," the Doctor groaned as Tallulah tugged on Lazlo's hand, "It'll be safer for you to go with them".

"Perhaps but when have I ever taken the safer option?" the Hatter shrugged, Lazlo and Tallulah seemed to be talking about something, "Doctor, yes I admit that I'm scared of the Daleks, scratch that, terrified of them but sometimes you have to face up to your fears".

"Please go with them," the Doctor pleaded, surprising the Hatter by cupping the side of her face, "I don't know what I would do if…" he took a deep breath, "Please. I've already thought that I killed you once, I couldn't handle that a second time".

"Doctor, I was the one who created The Moment," the Hatter sighed, "I was the one who gave it to you, who begged you to use it…if anything I killed myself. Not to mention everyone else," she glanced over to Lazlo and Tallulah to see them still talking before back to the Doctor's eyes, "And I'm safe, I'm fine".

"Safe no, fine no," the Doctor shook his head, still cupping her face, "Please, I couldn't bear it if something happened to you, not after everything we've been through".

"Believe me, if I could do this to make you happier, I would," the Hatter told him, "But I can't. It's my duty as a Time Lady to do this. I have to," she gave him a small smile, "Besides, when have I ever turned down the chances to safe my friends lives?"

The Doctor went to argue but stopped when he noticed Lazlo finishing his talk with Tallulah who ran off, approach them. He let his hand drop from the Hatter's face and waited for the Daleks and human's to pass before slipping in-between Martha and Frank, Lazlo acting like a normal Pigman off to the side.

"Just keep walking," the Doctor muttered to Martha.

"I'm so glad to see you," Martha breathed.

"Yeah, well, you can kiss me later," the Doctor shrugged, "You too, Frank, Hatter, if you want".

"Carful Doctor, you don't know who might take that offer up," the Hatter remarked, unknowing making the Doctor blush bright red, almost stopping at how surprised he was, "You can never be sure who might be listening".

…...

The Daleks led them into huge lab where two other Daleks were waiting; one of them seemed to be shacking, smock pouring out of its casing.

"Report," one of the Daleks ordered.

"Dalek Sec is in the final stage of evolution," another Dalek replied.

"Looks like we've found the Cult of Scaro," the Hatter whispered to the Doctor.

"Scan him. Prepare for birth".

"Evolution?" the Doctor frowned at the same time that the Hatter muttered, "Birth?"

"What's wrong with old Charlie boy over there?" Martha nodded to Dalek Sec.

"Well, why don't you ask them yourself," the Hatter suggested.

"What me?" Martha scoffed, "Don't be daft".

"We don't exactly want to be noticed," the Doctor shrugged, "Ask them what's going on".

"But say it forcefully," the Hatter added, "Like an order".

Martha eyed them both for a moment before stepping out of the line, "Dalek's, I demand to be told. What is the Final Experiment? Report!"

"You will bear witness," one of the Daleks said.

"To what?" Martha frowned.

"This is the dawn of a new age".

"What does that mean?" Martha asked.

"We are the only four Daleks so the species must evolve a life outside the shell. The Children of Skaro must walk again".

Dalek's Sec's shell powered down and the casing opened to reveal just what the Dalek's had set out to do, a human-Dalek hybrid. The Hatter noticed straight away that it was dressed exactly the same way that Mr. Diagoras's had. It's head and hands were that off a Dalek, one eye, tentacles, and claw like hands, misshapen.

"What is it?" Martha gasped.

"I am a human Dalek," Sec said slowly, getting used to having a proper voice, "I am your future".

"No," the Hatter breathed as she and the Doctor watched in disbelief, "No…"

_**I hope you liked it, I wrote it at 2:47 am, so any mistakes you can blame them on lack of sleep. So, the Hatter was the one to convinced the Doctor to use The Moment, (I know that the Doctor was the one who built it but for this story it was the Hatter) there will be more about that later on and I plan on doing a flash back scene. There was a reason why the Hatter wanted the Doctor to be one to use it even when she knew what would happen to him. I should also remained you that the Hatter was slightly different dewing the Time War. Tell me what you thought, please review :)**_


	10. Chapter 10 Evolution of Dalek's part 1

_**Evolution of the Dalek's part 1.**_

"These...humans will become like me," Sec announced, talking slowly as he stood before them, luckily no one noticed the Doctor and the Hatter slip away from the group of prisoners behind some machinery, "Prepare them for hybridization".

The Pigmen started closing in on the prisoners, one grabbing Martha, "Leave me alone!" Martha shouted, struggling against their tight grip, "Don't you dare!"

Suddenly 'Happy Days are Here Again' started playing from somewhere. Everyone stopped, looking around, trying to see who could be the course.

"What is that sound?" Sec demanded, looking around.

The Doctor stepped out, holding a radio while the Hatter stood beside him, playing with the end of her scarf to try and stop herself from shacking, "That would be us," the Doctor said, putting the radio down, "Hello. Surprise. Boo. Et cetera".

"Doctor," Sec hissed, glaring at them, "Hatter".

"The enemies of the Daleks!" one of the Daleks shouted.

"That's us," the Hatter gave a wave, "Hello!"

"Exterminate!" a second Dalek cried, aiming its laser at them.

"Wait," Sec called, holding his clawed hand's up.

"Well, then," the Doctor said, taken aback by Sec, walking forward, "A new form of Dalek. Fascinating and very clever".

"And unexpected," the Hatter added, eyeing them as she followed the Doctor, "That's rather impressive in its own right".

"The Cult of Skaro escaped your slaughter".

"How did you end up in 1930?" the Doctor asked.

"Emergency Temporal Shift," Sec replied.

"My, my, that must have roasted up your power cells, hmm?," the Hatter scoffed, eyeing the Dalek's without a trace of fear, the Doctor was looking at her quite impressed, "There was once a time were four Daleks could have conquered the world, instead your sulking away, hidden in the dark, experimenting. All of which results in you, Sec".

"I am Dalek in human form".

"What does it feel like?" the Doctor asked, "You can talk to me, Dalek Sec. It is Dalek Sec, isn't it? That's your name? You've got a name and a mind of your own. Tell me what you're thinking right now?"

Sec thought for a moment, "I...feel...humanity".

"Good," the Hatter nodded, "That's very good".

"I...feel...everything we wanted from mankind, which is ambition, hatred, aggression, and war. Such...a genius for war".

"No," the Hatter sighed, shaking her head in disappointment, "That's not what humanity means".

"I think it does," Sec told them, "At heart, this species is so very...Dalek".

"Alright, so what have you achieved then?" the Doctor questioned, "With this 'Final Experiment,' eh? Nothing! 'Cos I can show you what you're missing with this thing," he pointed at the radio, "Simple little radio".

"What is the purpose of that device," the first Dalek asked.

"Well, exactly," the Doctor said, "It plays music. What's the point of that? Oh, with music, you can dance to it," he grabbed the Hatter's hand and started twirling her around, "Sign with it..."

"Fall in love with it," the Hatter added, letting go of the Doctor's hand as he spun her around to face the Daleks again, "If I remember correctly, the first time I called the Doctor my best friend was when we we're teaching each other to dance..."

**Flash back, Age: 40 years, each.**

"**Right, step one, two, three, step one...ouch!" Ariana exclaimed as Theta Sigma stood on her foot for the fifth time.**

"**Sorry, sorry," he quickly apologized, "Maybe we should take a brake..."**

"**No," Ariana tightened her grip on his hand, giving him a stern look, "We've almost got it, Theta! Just three more hours and we'll have it down perfectly".**

**Theta did a double take, "Three hours! What happened to," he put on a high pitched voices, "'I've got an idea, let's teach each other to dance, Theta?'"**

"**I don't sound like," Ariana let go of his hand and hit his arm, giving him a look but it wasn't long before they burst out laughing, "Okay, maybe I do," he gave her a raised eyebrows look, "Shut up".**

**Theta gasped, dramatically clutching his chest, collapsing onto the floor, "Lady Ariana, you wound me!"**

"**Not yet but keep behaving like that and I will," Ariana replied even though she was smiling at him, "And I'll do a lot worse than that if you call me..." she shrived in distaste, "Lady Ariana again"**

"**What am I supposed to call you?" Theta stopped clutching his chest, cracking his eyes open to look up to her, a sly smirk coming onto his face, "Lady ****Arianashedited?"**

**Ariana glared a glare worth of Ushas at him, picking a pillow from her bad up and chucking it at his face, sadly he court it before it hit him, grinning up at her as he put it behind his head, "Why thank you. You're too kind".**

"**I think I'm starting to see why Ushas complains about you all the time," Ariana remarked, giving him a fond smile, "Don't ever change".**

"**Not planning to," Theta gave a small shrug, patting the floor beside him, "Ariana, I'm lonely".**

"**Is that another why of asking me to sit next to you?"**

"**Fine, please sit down," Theta patted the floor again.**

"**Much better, Theta," Ariana gracefully sat opposite him, "I might make a gentleman out of you yet".**

"**Well, you'll have life times to try," Theta grinned at her, "We are..."**

"**Best friends," Ariana cut him off, "Always and forever".**

**Theta smiled so widely that Ariana wondered how it didn't hurt, "And ever, ever, ever, ever..." Ariana covered his mouth.**

"**Got it, Theta," she nodded, uncovering his mouth, "Now back to learning to dance..."**

_**End flash back.**_

The Doctor grinned at her before he dropped it, turning back to the Daleks, "Unless you're a Dalek of course. Then it's just noise," he flashed his sonic at the radio, a high-pitched noise filled the air. Sec covered his ears in obvious pain while the other Daleks rushed around the room erratically.

The Hatter groaned, "And you say I'm bad," she grabbed his hand, turning to the prisoners, "Run!" the prisoners didn't need telling twice, running out of the room with the Doctor and the Hatter following close behind.

"Protect the hybrid!" the Daleks shouted, "Protect. Protect. Protect!"

Martha ran through the sewers, leading the way until she stopped, looking around confused as to what why to go, the Doctor and the Hatter dashed past her.

"Come on!" the Doctor shouted, pulling the Hatter along with him, "Move, move, move, move, move!" he led them down another tunnel, passing a lost looking Tallulah, "And you, Tallulah! Run!"

"What's happened to Lazlo?" Tallulah cried her eyes wide as she followed them.

The Doctor didn't answer, leading everyone to a ladder.

"Everyone, get up!" the Hatter shouted as the sounds of the approaching Pigmen sounded, "Up! Up!"

...

"These Daleks," Solomon frowned as they sat around a fire back at Hooverville, Tallulah and Martha sitting on crates while the Doctor and the Hatter stood beside each other, the Doctor with his arm around the Hatter "They sound like the stuff of nightmares. And they wanna _breed_?"

"They're splicing themselves into human bodies," the Hatter sighed, playing with the edge of her hat with one hand, "If we're right, they've got a farm of breeding stock here in Hooverville".

"We've got to get everyone out," the Doctor added, nodding.

"Hooverville's the lowest place a man can fall," Solomon said, shaking his head at them, "There's nowhere else to go".

"I'm sorry, Solomon," the Doctor sighed, "You've got to scatter. Go anywhere. Down to the railroads, travel across state; just get out of New York".

"There's got to be a way to reason with these things..."

"There's not a chance," Martha scoffed and the Hatter nodded.

"You ain't seen 'em, boss," Frank nodded.

"Daleks are bad enough at anytime," the Hatter sighed, "But right now they're vulnerable and that makes them more dangerous than ever".

"They're coming!" suddenly a man started shouting in the distance, blowing a whistle, "They're coming!"

"A sentry," Solomon frowned as the Doctor and the Hatter exchanged grim looks, "Must have seen something".

"They're here!" the sentry shouted, running back to camp, "I seen 'em! Monsters! They're monsters!"

"It's started," the Doctor and the Hatter muttered, tightening their grip on each other.

"We're under attack!" Solomon yelled, turning around to face the camp, "Everyone to arms!"

Men ran around, garbing whatever guns or weapons they could find.

"Oh, I really hate guns," the Hatter muttered to the Doctor, watching everything unfold in front of them grimly, "But we can't let them fight, Doctor, they'll be killed".

"Believe me, if there was another way," the Doctor sighed.

"There's always another way," the Hatter shook her head but even she could see that it helpless to try and stop them.

"I'm ready, boss," Frank told Solomon, grabbing a gun for himself, "But all o' you find a weapon! Use anything!"

"Come back!" Solomon shouted as a few men ran off into the night, "We gotta stick together! It's not safe out there! Come back!"

Pigemn started running into camp, attacking men, forcing them into the middle of the camp.

"We need to get out of the park," Martha said, looking around desperately.

"I'm sorry, Martha," the Hatter sighed, letting go of the Doctor and putting a comforting arm around her, "We can't. They're on all sides, driving everyone back towards us".

"We're trapped," Tallulah gasped in realization.

"Then we stand together!" Solomon called to everyone, "Gather 'round. Everybody come to me. You there, Jethro, Harry, Seamus, stay together!" the Pigmen surrounded them, pushing them closer to the fire, "They can't take all of us".

"If we can just hold them off till daylight..." Martha breathed as the men opened fire, the Hatter went to stop them but the Doctor grabbed her arm, pulling her into his arms before she could fight back.

"Oh, Martha," the Doctor sighed, tightening his grip of the Hatter as he gazed up at the night sky, "They're just the foot soldiers".

"Oh, please tell me I'm dreaming," the Hatter gasped, making everyone look at her before following her gaze to see a Dalek flying above them.

"Oh my God!" Martha gasped, looking up.

"What is this world..." Solomon blinked up at the Dalek.

"It's the devil!" the sentry cried, panicking, "A devil in the sky. God save us all. It's damnation".

"Oh yeah?" Frank shouted, glaring at the Dalek, "We'll see about that!" he raised his gun and started firing but it didn't even leave a dent.

The Hatter managed to step away from the Doctor and push Frank's rifle down, "Sorry Frank, but human weapons have very little to no effect," she glanced back at the Dalek, grimly, "I should know".

"There's more than one of them," Martha gasped as a second Dalek joined the first and began to fire, blasting everything in front of them, people started running only to be thrown back by a blast, screaming in pain.

The Hatter couldn't watch anymore, it brought back so many memories of the Time War that she had tried to bury, friends, family, collages that she had witness die in front of her. She may not have fought on the front line but she had witnessed the horrors of the war behind it, she could only image what the Doctor must be feeling, watching something like this in front of him.

"The human's will surrender!" the first Dalek ordered.

"Leave them alone!" the Doctor and the Hatter shouted, "They've done nothing to you!" Solomon moved forward but the Doctor grabbed his arm, "No, Solomon. Stay back".

"I'm told that I'm addressin' the Daleks, is that right?" Solomn called to the Daleks, ignoring the Doctor's arm and the Hatter's warning look.

"Please, Solomon, don't do this," the Hatter pleaded but she was ignored.

"From what I hear, you're outcasts, too".

"Solomon, don't," the Doctor warned.

"Doctor, Hatter, this is my township, you will respect my authority," Solomon met their eyes, "Just let me try," he pulled away from the Doctor, stepping forward while the Doctor and the Hatter could only watch from behind, shaking their heads, "Daleks...ain't we all the same? Underneath, arn't we all kin?" he leant down and laid his rifle on the ground, "'Cos, see, I've just discovered this past day God's Universe is a thousand times the sizes I thought it was. And that scares me. Oh, yeah. Terrifies me. Right down to the bone. But it's got to give me hope...hope that maybe together we can make a better tomorrow. So I...I beg you now, if you have any compassion in your hearts, then you'll meet with us and stop this fight," the Hatter turned away and closed her eyes, already knowing what would happen, "Well...what do you say?"

"Exterminate!" the Dalek cried, firing at Solomon, killing him.

"Oh, no!" Frank shouted, rushing to the side of Solomon's body as the other residents started screaming, "No! Solomon!"

"They killed him," Martha gasped, eyes widened in shook and fear, "They just shot him on the spot".

"I'm sorry, Martha," the Hatter breathed, shaking her head, "We should never have brought you here. I'm so, so, sorry".

"Daleks!" the Doctor shouted with so much anger that it made both Martha and the Hatter flinch, stalking forward, throwing his arms out, almost shacking with rage, "All right, so it's my turn! Then kill me! Kill me if it'll stop you attacking these people!"

"Doctor, please!" the Hatter cried, she could already feel tears starting to run down her cheeks as she moved forward but Martha stopped her, "Doctor, please! Please!"

"I will be the destroyer of one of our greatest enemies!" the Dalek's amid at the Doctor.

"Then do it! Do it! Just do it!" the Doctor beat his chest, "Do it!"

"Extermin..." the Dalek began the Hatter stopped struggling and turned away when the Dalek suddenly stopped, "I do not understand. It is the Doctor," the Hatter turned back around, staring at the Dalek completely confused, "The urge to kill is too strong," the Dalek slowly lowered its laser, "I...obey".

"What?" the Hatter breathed, wiping the side of her cheek.

"What's going on?" the Doctor demanded just as confused as the Hatter.

"You will follow," the Dalek ordered.

"No!" Martha shouted, running forward before the Hatter could stop her, "You can't go!"

"I've got to go," the Doctor told her, "The Daleks just changed their minds. Daleks _never_ change their minds".

"But what about us?" Martha gestured to the Hatter and the residents.

The Doctor glanced at the residents before looking at the Hatter and back to the Daleks, "One condition! If I come with you, you spare the lives of everyone here! Do you hear me!"

The Daleks were silent for a moment, "The humans will be spared. Including the Hatter. Doctor...follow".

"Then I'm coming with you," Martha said firmly, stepping forward.

"Martha, stay here" the Doctor told her, turning around to face them, "Do what you do best. People are hurt. You can help them. Let me go," he gave her a smile before turning to the Hatter, pulling her into a hug, "Please stay here and be safe".

"Just as long as you never shout at a Dalek to kill you again," the Hatter said softly as the Doctor let her step back but kept a hold of her arms, "Please, you're always saying that you wouldn't know what to do if something happened to me, well, what would I do if something happened to _you_?"

"You're a fighter," the Doctor said, "You would be fine," the Hatter shook her head, a tear slipped down her cheek and he gently wiped it away, "Please...just...stay safe".

The Hatter nodded after a moment and he smiled, grasping onto her hand, slipping the psychic paper into it, winking at her before walking off with the Daleks.

"What do we do now?" Martha asked after a moment, sounding slightly helpless.

The Hatter glanced down at the psychic paper before looking up and smiling, "Martha Jones, how do you feel about some work experience in the 1930s?"

...

"But I don't get it," Martha frowned over her shoulder as she bandaged a man's arm, talking to the Hatter, "You're a Time Lord, right?"

"Time Lady but yes," the Hatter nodded as she looked thoughtfully down at the psychic paper.

"Well, why didn't the Daleks get you to go with the Doctor?" Martha questioned, "I mean, you've fought them before?" the Hatter nodded, "Then why not get you to help them with this experiment?"

"Long story," the Hatter sighed, taking her hat off and running a hand through her hair, "And you might want to loosen that bandage, Martha," Martha looked down and loosened it slightly, "As for your questioned, the Daleks are scared of me," Martha stopped what she was doing and stared at her, "Well, maybe scared isn't quit the right word. Anyway, the Daleks are scared not off me but off what I can do".

"Right," Martha nodded, following along, "And what is that?"

"Oh, lots of things that I'm not proud of," the Hatter sighed, "The Daleks know that I have the ability to destroy them and I have had the chances to do so...oh, I've lost count. Dewing the Time War, the High Council of Gallifrey asked me to find a way to destroy the Daleks but after a Time Lord called Rassilon took over power it become an order. I was ordered to build a machine that would not only destroy the Daleks but every single Dalek ever to be creature in the Universe, though out time".

"But that's genocide," Martha gasped, looking over her shoulder.

"Why do you think I was so pleased it was destroyed," the Hatter said before sighing, "Sadly it came at a huge cost. My entire laboratory was destroyed not to mention all of my students were killed. I was the only person to survive because I was running late for work".

"Oh my God," Martha breathed, shaking her head just as Tallulah walked in, carrying a pot.

"Here you go," she told them, holding the pot of water up, "I got some more on the boil".

"Thanks," Martha nodded to her, turning back to the man, "You'll be all right. It's just a cut. Try and keep it clean".

"Thanks," the man said, getting up and walking out of the tent.

"Very good job, Dr. Jones," the Hatter smiled at her, "A very promising student".

"Thanks," Martha smiled a little embarrassed.

"So what about us?" Tallulah asked, "What do we do now?"

"Well, ladies, the Doctor gave me this," the Hatter said, holding the psychic paper up for them to see, "Now, I just have to try and figure out why".

"What's that for?" Tallulah asked, eyeing it.

"It's called a psychic paper," the Hatter explained, "Basically you can make people see whatever you want, names, Ids, anything. It's also very handy in getting you into places...too bad the Doctor's blocking me and I can't work out his plan...or lack of".

"Wait a minute," Martha suddenly realised something, "Down in the sewers the Daleks mentioned this...energy conductor".

"Oh, Martha Jones you are brilliant," the Hatter grinned, jumping up from her seat.

"What does that mean?" Tallulah asked, looking in-between Martha and the now pacing Hatter.

"I don't know," Martha shrugged, eyeing the Hatter, "Maybe like a...lighting conductor or..."

"Dalekanium," the Hatter stopped pacing, "The Daleks mentioned that it was in places, oh, Doctor, you are a genius."

"In place where?" Tallulah shook her head.

"Frank might know," Martha rushed out of the tent, Tallulah and the Hatter following close behind before they spotted Frank, "Frank?"

"Hm?" Frank looked up, wiping his face clean of tears; the Hatter patted him on his shoulder.

"That Mr. Diagoras, he was like some sort of fixer, yeah?" Martha asked him, "Get jobs all over town?"

"Yeah," Frank sniffed, "He could find a profit anywhere".

"But where though?" Martha asked, "What sort of things?"

"You name it," Frank shrugged, "We're all so desperate for work, you just hope Diagoras would pick you for something good. Building work. That pays the best".

"But what sort of building work?"

"What do you guys think," the Hatter pointing at the Empire State Building, "Anyone fancy a high rise trip?"

...

"I always wanted to go to the Empire State," Martha remarked as they stood inside a lift, approaching the top floor, "Never imagined it quite like this though".

"That happens more often than you would think," the Hatter nodded.

"Where are we heading anyway?" Frank asked with his arms crossed.

"To the top were there still building," the Hatter shrugged.

"How come those guys just let us through?" Tallulah frowned, glancing at the psychic paper in the Hatter's hand, "What's that thing say?"

"Well, according to this, we're an engineer, two electricians, and an architect," the Hatter said, looking at the paper, "I bags engineer".

The lift binged a moment later and the doors opened, showing the top floor, "Look at this place!" Tallulah exclaimed as they stepped out, "Top of the world!"

The Hatter headed straight over to architectural planes that were spread all over a table, Martha and Frank following close behind, "Oh, I do love it when they make things easy. I was slightly afraid that they might have cleaned up before we arrived".

"Hey, look at the date," Frank said as Martha flipped through the planes, the Hatter in the middle of examining one, "These designs were issued today. They must've changed something last minute".

"You are clever, aren't you, Frank," the Hatter smiled at him, checking the date with another plane to make sure.

"You mean the Daleks changed something last minute?" Martha frowned.

"Yeah, could be," Frank replied as the Hatter nodded.

"See for yourself," the Hatter said, "The ones from underneath are from before".

"That means that whatever they changed must be on this top sheet but not this one," Martha realised, pulling the top sheet off, "We need to check one against the other".

"The height of this place!" Tallulah exclaimed from behind them, "This is amazing!"

"Be careful," the Hatter told her, looking up, "We're a hundred floors up. Don't go walking off...oh, I don't know why I both saying that. They always do".

"I just wanna see," Tallulah shrugged, walking over to the ledge as Martha, Frank, and the Hatter laid the planes out on the floor.

"I'll go and keep an eye out," Frank said, standing up as Tallulah walked back to the room, "Make sure we're safe up here. Don't want nobody buttin' in".

"Be careful," the Hatter warned him as he walked out of the room.

"There's one hell of a storm movin' in," Tallulah remarked, standing beside them.

"I wish the Doctor was here," Martha sighed, examining one of the planes, "He'd know what we're looking for".

"We don't need the Doctor, Martha," the Hatter shook her head, "We already know that we're looking for Dalekanium, we just have to work out were they put it".

"So tell me, where did you two and him first hook up?" Tallulah asked them.

"Oh, you know the normal way," the Hatter shrugged, "Dropped a book on his head half a dozen lifetimes ago".

"What do you mean, 'half a dozen lifetimes ago?'" Martha frowned at her.

"Long story but I'm over nine hundred years old," the Hatter said, making the other woman blink, "The Doctor and I are the same age, the only differences is that he's four months older than me".

"Right," Martha shook her head, "I was in a hospital, sort of".

"Course, him bein' a Doctor," Tallulah nodded, kneeling in-between Martha and the Hatter.

"Actually, I'm the doctor," Martha smiled slightly, "Well, kind of".

"You're a physician?" Tallulah's eyes widened, "Really?"

"I was in training," Martha nodded, "Still am, if I ever get back home".

"Don't worry, Martha," the Hatter said, "The Doctor will get you home and if he doesn't, I'll teach you if you want. It's been a while since I had a student".

"You could be doctors together!" Tallulah smiled at Martha, "What a partnership. Oh, it's such a shame. If only he wasn't so...different. You know what I mean?"

"Oh, you have no idea how different he really is," Martha muttered, smiling.

"Yeah, he's a man, sweetheart," Tallulah smiled, "That's different enough".

Martha glanced at the Hatter, deciding that she could trust her before glancing back to Tallulah, "He had this...companion a while back. This friend," the Hatter glanced at her, not surprised that Martha would be talking about Rose, "And sometimes when I say something or do something and he looks at me, and I just sort of think...that he's not seeing me. He's just remembering".

"Aw, listen sweetheart," Tallulah put a hand on Martha's shoulder as the Hatter frowned, shaking her head at Martha's words, "You wanna get all sad? You wanna have a contest with me and Lazlo?"

"No," Martha said, shaking her head, "But listen, if the Doctor's with Lazlo now, there's every chances that he could get him out".

"And then what?" Tallulah asked, sighing hopelessly, "Don't talk crazy. There's no future for me and him. Those Dalek things took that away. The one good thing I had in my life and they destroyed it," she started chocking up as the Hatter put an arm around her.

"It's alright," the Hatter told her gently, "It may not seem like it now but it will be. Martha's right, if Lazlo is with the Doctor then he will do everything and anything to bring him back to you. Safe. Now, why don't you think about this, would you rather spend the rest of your life with the man you love or give him up just because of his looks? If you love him and he loves you then what differences does it make? Don't let the Daleks win, Tallulah, not over something as important as your love for Lazlo".

Tallulah sniffed and wiped her cheeks, "Your right. I'm...I'm just..." she trailed off and the Hatter nodded, understanding.

"Why don't you get some air?" she suggested, Tallulah nodded and stood up, walking outside again.

Martha watched her go before looking back to the Hatter, "You really know exactly the right thing to say".

The Hatter looked back to Martha, giving her a smile, "Oh, I don't know about that, I just know what to look for in a person. Tallulah just needed a little nudge in the right direction, whether or not it will work out as simple as all that is really up to them," she glanced over her shoulder and back to Martha, "You know, the Doctor doesn't think of you as Rose".

Martha shook her head, sighing, "How can you be so sure?"

"Because I knew the real, Rose Tyler," the Hatter said, "And let me tell you something, Rose Tyler and you and extremely different. Rose and I never got along, well, Rose never liked me, I should say. She was jealous of how close the Doctor and I are".

"No offences but I can sort of understand that," Martha smiled, making the Hatter laugh.

"Yeah, I guess we are pretty close," the Hatter smiled at her, "But that's what happens when you know someone for as long as we have, back to the point, the Doctor likes you for you".

"I wish I could be as sure as you are," Martha sighed glumly.

The Hatter nudged her shoulder, still smiling, "Don't be like that, Martha, I'm telling you, the Doctor likes you for you. Give him time. He's still grieving for the loss of Rose".

"What were they?" Martha asked but the Hatter gave her a confused look, "I mean, what were they to each other?"

"Oh, right, sorry I'm not really used to talking about things like this," the Hatter admitted, shaking her head, "Well, I know that Rose was in love with the Doctor and the Doctor, well...haven't got a clue," Martha frowned so the Hatter continued, "What I mean to say is that he never said it back when he had the chances to. He just stood there, looking at her with this odd look on his face. I thought it was best to leave it and not to ask why he never said it back".

Martha thought about it for a moment before shaking her head, "Maybe he didn't feel the same way".

"I don't think so," the Hatter sighed, "I'm sure he felt something for her...why he never said..." she shook her head, smiling again at Martha, "Anyway; let's talk about something a little less depressing, shall we? I hope you don't mind me asking but, what are your feelings for the Doctor?"

Martha blinked at her a few times, gaping, "What makes you...you think I have feelings...feelings for him?"

The Hatter laughed, "Martha, I've been around long enough to know when someone has feelings for another person. The only reason that I asked is because I wanted to hear you say it".

Martha looked away from the Hatter, sighing, "Alright, I admit that I...like him".

"Was that so hard, now?" the Hatter smiled, "You can come to me, day or night and talk to me about anything. It'll be a nice brake from listening to the Doctor moaning about the TARDIS being annoyed at him".

"Thanks, I might take that up one day," Martha said, relived that the Hatter didn't seem upset about her feelings, "If he lets me travel with you guys".

"He will," the Hatter said confidently, "And if he doesn't, you could always be my companion, he'll have to let you stay on if that's the case otherwise..."

"Otherwise, what?"

"Otherwise I, sorry us, go off on our own, travelling," the Hatter shrugged, "He would never let that happen, he's to proactive over me," she said the last part, rolling her eyes, making Martha smile at how normal she seemed for a centuries old, alien with a super intelligences.

The Hatter shook her head, turning back to the building planes as Tallulah walked back over to them, "Gotcha!" Martha pointed at something at the base of mast on the plane, making the Hatter look up from another plane, "Look!" Tallulah knelt down beside the Hatter as she lent closer the paper, "There, on the mast. Those little lines? They're new. They've added something, see?"

"Added what?" Tallulah asked before they looked at each other.

"Dalekanium!" they shouted in unison.

The Hatter glanced back down to the plane before standing and running over to a ladder, leading the way up to the mast, "You two stay here! If the Doctor comes, tell him to get over it".

"But..." Martha tried but it was to later, the Hatter's coat was already was already out of sight, shaking her head she turned back to Tallulah, "Better do as she says but I don't like the chances of telling the Doctor to...'get over it'".

Tallulah nodded her agreement, shriving at the idea.

_**Looks like the Hatter finely has a companion who likes her and is a woman, I can't help but feel sorry for her to only be able to talk to the Doctor. I really loved writing the Hatter and Martha conversation, I always felt sorry for Martha always thinking that she didn't matter to the Doctor. Tell me what you thought, please review :)**_


	11. Chapter 11 Evolution of Dalek's part 2

_**Evolution of the Daleks part 2**_

Martha looked up from where she was talking to Frank, explaining to him what the Hatter was doing when the lift gave a ping and the doors opened to reveal the Doctor with Lazlo.

"Doctor!" Martha cried, glanced over her shoulder worryingly to the last place she had seen the Hatter.

"First floor, perfumery," the Doctor smiled at her, glancing around the room for the Hatter, frowning when he couldn't see her.

"I thought I'd never see you again!" Tallulah cried, running straight to Lazlo and hugging him.

"No stopping me," Lazlo met her halfway, hugging her tightly.

"We worked it out," Martha told the Doctor, leading him over to the plans, "We know what they've done. There's Dalekanium is on the mast. And it's good to see you too, by the way".

"Oh, come here," the Doctor grinned, pulling her into a hug, spinning her around a moment before dropping her suddenly as the bell on the lift dinged and the doors shut. He ran over to them, muttering under his breath, "No, no, no. See, never waste time with a hug, speaking of which, where's the Hatter?" he turned back around, looking at Martha who was bitting her lip, "Martha?"

"Um," Martha glanced behind her and back to the Doctor, "She told me to tell you to, um...get over it".

The Doctor groaned, closing his eyes, "Please tell me she didn't go up to the mast?"

"We couldn't stop her," Tallulah told him, still hanging onto Lazlo.

He started muttering something that none of them could understand, pushing a hand through his hair before turning back to the lift and sonic it, "Right, the Hatter would strangle me if I didn't explain a few things first. Its deadlock seal. I can't stop it".

"Where's it going?" Martha asked, slightly surprised at how calm he was about the Hatter.

"Right down to the Daleks. And they're not going to leave us alone up here. What's the time?"

"11:15," Frank glanced at the clock.

"Six minutes to go," the Doctor started to look a desperate, glancing the ladder worrying, wanting nothing more than to climb up there and bring the Hatter back down, "I've got to remove the Dalekanium before the gamma radiation hits," he stopped talking, a look of realization and horror passed over his face, "And the Hatter doesn't know what's coming".

"Gammon radiation?" Tallulah shook her head, frowning, "What the heck is that?"

The Doctor ignored her, rushing past them outside, stopping at the sight of the city, "Oh, that's high. That's very...blimey, that's high".

"And we've got to go even higher," Martha pointed up towards the mast were they could just make out the shape of a person, "That's the mast up there, look. There's three pieces of Dalekanium at the base unless the Hatter got some of it down. We've got to help her".

"That's not 'we,'" the Doctor told her firmly, "That's just me and the Hatter will be coming down even if I have to drag her down myself".

"I won't just stand here and watch you..." Martha began but the Doctor cut her off.

"No, you're gonna have your hands full, anyway. I'm sorry, Martha, but you've got to fight".

The Doctor turned and quickly started climbing the ladder and scaffolding, focusing on reaching the Hatter while Martha was forced to do as he said, re-entering the room with Frank, Tallulah, and Lazlo. The Doctor finely reached the mast were the Hatter was kneeling beside one of the Dalekanium pieces, obviously shriving from the cold wind, trying to sonic the pieces off with shaking hands.

"Hello Doctor, nice to know you're still alive," the Hatter commented, not looking up from her work, "Nice of you to join me".

"Hatter," the Doctor sighed in relief to see her unharmed, carefully making his way over to her and kneeling beside her, he could feel her shaking but she didn't seem to notice the cold, "Let me do this. The other's need you down there," he gently took her hand but she pulled it away.

"Not a chances, Doctor," the Hatter frowned at him, her hair whipping around in the wind, "I can do this I just need a few more minutes..."

"We have less than six minutes before gamma radiation hits us," the Doctor quickly cut her off, taking his own sonic out, meeting her eyes, "Please. I need to know that you're safe. Help Martha, they're going to need all the help they can get".

"And you don't?" the Hatter shot back, "Doctor, gamma radiation is fine, well, maybe not _fine_ but we both know that it wouldn't course any real damage," she paused, glancing over her shoulder to the edge, "Just as long as we don't fall off we'll be fine".

"Please," the Doctor pleaded, looking more desperate then before, "Don't make me beg because you know I will".

The Hatter looked at him for a moment before sighing and nodding, "If it makes you happy," she went to stand but stopped, "Promises me you'll be careful," he nodded, giving her a grin which quickly turned it to surprise but pleased look when she kissed him on his cheek.

"What was that for?"

"Always looking out for me and being so sweet," she ruffled his hair affectingly before carefully but quickly dashing back down the scaffolding, joining the others, each one of them were already holding make shift weapons in their hands.

"The lifts coming up!" Martha gasped, watching as the counter climbed closer and closer towards there floor.

"I shoulda brought that gun, "Frank muttered.

"Trust me; guns never make things better," the Hatter said, making the other's jump, "Oh, hello again, the Doctor made me come back here. Don't worry, I have a plane".

"Anytime you wanna use that plane," Martha glanced at her.

"Soon, very soon," the Hatter replied, glancing over her shoulder to see the sky.

"Tallulah, stay back," Lazlo looked at her before looking at Martha and the Hatter, "You too, Martha, Hatter. If they send Pig Slaves, they're trained to kill".

"The Doctor needs me to fight," Martha shook her head stubbornly, "I'm not going anywhere".

"Don't let him hear you talk like that," the Hatter warned her, "In fact, don't let me hear you talk like that next time".

"Martha, they're savages," Lazlo told her, trying to push them both back behind him, the Hatter stepped to the side "I should know. They're trained to slit your throat with their bare teeth".

Suddenly he collapsed onto the floor, "Lazlo?" Tallulah cried, dropping her weapon and grabbing his arm, "What is it?"

"Lazlo?" the Hatter frowned, moving forward, the one thing she had forgotten to find out was how long Pig Slaves lived for, she had already guessed less than a few weeks.

"No, it's nothing," Lazlo said, trying to stand again, "I'm fine. Just leave me..." he collapsed back down, leaning against the wall as Tallulah started helping him. The Hatter quickly rushed forward, checking his pulse and breathing, mentally groaning at the results.

"Oh, honey, you're burnin' up," Tallulah put a hand over his forehead while the Hatter listened to his heartbeat, trying desperately to think of a way to help him with only the things in her pockets, "What's wrong with you? Tell me," she glanced at the Hatter, "Can't you do somethin'".

"Oh, Tallulah," the Hatter breathed, standing up, "Lazlo, nothing is impossibly and I will do everything in my power to help. I promise".

"One man down and we ain't even started yet," Frank shook his head, tightening his grip on his weapon, looking back to the lift.

"It's not looking good," Martha nodded.

"Time to put my plane into action I believe," the Hatter said before dashing off and dragging a metal pipe back toward them, "A little help," Frank and Martha stared at her, she rolled her eyes, "Martha, think about it, lighten plus metal equals...?"

Frank and Martha glanced at each other, dropping their weapons and started helping her. Martha grabbed some crates and other pieces of furniture, arranging them so the pipes wouldn't touch the floor, Frank and the Hatter grabbed two other pipes, dragging them over.

"Aw, you'll be alright, sweetheart," Tallulah brushed Lazlo's hair softly, "Don't you worry," she looked up to the others as they continued to work, "What the hell are you three clowns doin'?"

"Well, even if the Doctor does manage to get all of the Dalekanium off, this place is still going to be hit," the Hatter explained quickly, arranging a pipe, "Massive bolt of lightning, electricity running all the way down this building. Now, connect this to the lift and the occupants get zapped," she paused in what she was doing, looking sickened with herself, "Even if it means killing them".

"Oh my God, that could work!" Tallulah nodded.

"Then give us a hand," Frank grumbled, running out with the Hatter to grab another pipe. They quickly set the next pipe into place.

"Is that gonna work?" Tallulah asked.

"Yes," the Hatter said confidently, feeling sick about what was about to happen, "Oh, Doctor, please forgive me for this".

"I've got it all piped up to the scaffolding outside," Frank told them, running back inside and over to them.

"Over here, Frank and sit in the middle and don't touch anything metal," Martha waved him over to the column Lazlo was still leaning against, huddling together, waiting for the lift to reach them, the doors opened just as the gamma radiation struck, sending a bolt of lightning along the metal pipes and into the lift, killing the Pigmen almost immediately.

"We did it," Tallulah breathed, the Hatter stood, forcing herself not to look at the lift.

"They used to be human," the Hatter shook her head, facing away from the others, closing her eyes, "Human's with families, lives of their own, futures ahead of them and now, it's gone. Over. Finished," Martha walked over to her and hugged her, the Hatter tried to pull away but Martha refused to let go, "I said this once to the Doctor, I don't know how people can bear to be in the same room as me when I can do this".

"You didn't kill them, "Lazlo's shook his head, Martha and the Hatter stopped hugging and faced him, "The Daleks did that a long time ago".

"Yeah," the Hatter muttered but Martha could tell that she didn't believe it.

"What about the Doctor?" Frank asked suddenly, Martha and the Hatter glanced at each other before dashing outside, the Hatter picking the Doctor's sonic screwdriver half the way up the scaffolding, finding him unconscious, lying on his back at the base of the mast.

"Oh, Doctor!" the Hatter cried as she reached the top, rushing over to his side, putting a hand on his cheek, Martha and Frank just behind her, "You're getting careless in your old age, sweetheart. Maybe more reckless then before, too, I didn't think that was possible".

"Is he going to be alright?" Martha asked fearfully.

"Well, he'll have a nasty headache," the Hatter sighed, moving her hand to gently brush his forehead just as the Doctor gave a groan.

"Oh my head," he groaned, slowly waking up.

"Is just as handsome as ever," the Hatter smiled, kissing his forehead, "Not to mention big".

"Hello to you to," the Doctor smiled slowly, cracking his eyes open to look at her, glancing at Martha and Frank, "You survived then".

"So did you," Martha said, relived to hear him talking but concerned about something else now, "Just about. I can't help noticing...there's Dalekanium still attached..."

The Doctor gave a jolt while the Hatter whipped around, both looking at the mast to see one last piece of metal there.

"Brilliant," the Hatter muttered.

...

"The Daleks will have gone straight to a war footing," the Doctor explained to them, looking out onto the city after they had climbed back down the scaffolding, Tallulah and Lazlo join them, "They'll be using the sewers, spreading their soldiers out underneath Manhattan".

"How do we stop them?" Lazlo questioned, the Hatter glanced at him worrying.

"There's only one chance," the Hatter said, looking back to the Doctor, "One stupid, reckless, and completely like the Doctor to do," everyone looked at her, the Doctor grinning, "He got in the way. What else is new there? Not that I'm saying he shouldn't have when it comes to the Daleks...well, maybe that wasn't the best idea, I mean..." she paused, looking horrified, "Oh no, I'm starting to sound like him!" she shook her head, getting back to the point, "Sorry, for a moment there I was living my worst nightmare".

"Oi!" the Doctor lightly hit her arm but it failed because of his amused smile.

"Anyway, the gamma strike went through him first," the Hatter shook her head at him.

"But what does that mean?" Martha frowned, shaking her head.

"We need to draw fire," the Doctor answered, "Before they can attack New York, I need to face them..." the Hatter cleared her throat but the Doctor shook his head, walking back inside, "No Hatter, just me".

"Doctor," the Hatter frowned at him, following close behind, "Don't you think that I have the right as a Time Lady to face the Daleks? They destroyed my family just as they did to you".

The Doctor turned back around, sighing when he saw the same determined look she had back in school, "Yes, you do, but..."

"Right, that's that then," the Hatter cut him off, smiling brightly, "Now let's think, we need some sort of space, somewhere safe, out of the way".

"Tallulah!" the Doctor shouted, spinning around to look at the woman.

"That's me," Tallulah held her hand up, "Three Ls and an H".

"The theatre! Its right above them, and, what, it's gone midnight? Can you get us inside?"

"Don't see why not," Tallulah shrugged.

"Is there another lift?" the Doctor asked, looking around, he had already noticed that the Hatter was refusing to look at the Pig Slaves bodies.

"We came up in the service elevator," Martha said, running over to it.

"For a moment there I thought we're going to have to go down in..." the Hatter trailed off closing her eyes before forcing a bright smile, "Never mind. Vamos!"

The Doctor pouted, "Hey, it's my job to say 'let's go'".

"You should have let me help you with the mast," the Hatter shrugged, giving him a real smile this time, "Vamos everybody! You know, I think I might keep that or though, I've already started rambling like the Doctor, I don't think I need to use a catch phrase like him."

"And you call me cheeky," the Doctor muttered, following after them.

"I heard that!"

...

"This should do it," the Doctor said as they arrived at the darkened theatre, looking around, "Here we go," he pulled his sonic out, switching it on while the Hatter did the same.

"There ain't nothin' more creepy than a theatre in the dark," Tallulah remarked clutching her coat tighter around her, "Listen, Doctor, I know you got a thing for showtunes, but there's a time and place, huh?" suddenly Lazlo collapsed onto one of the chairs, Tallulah rushed to his aid, sitting beside him, "Lazlo, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," Lazlo shook his head, breathing heavily, "It's just so hot".

"But...it's freezing in here," Tallulah frowned, looking over to the Doctor and the Hater, "Doctor, Hatter, what's happening to him?"

"Not now Tallulah," the Doctor said, changing the setting on his sonic, listening to it, "Sorry".

The Hatter glanced at him, putting her sonic away and going over to Tallulah and Lazlo, "The Doctor knows what to do," she explained at the looks the others gave her at how easy she had given up, "Oh, don't look at me like that, I can let the Doctor do things".

"What are you doing?" Martha asked the Doctor, watching him.

"If the Daleks are going to war, they'll wanna fine their number one enemy," the Doctor said, the Hatter cleared her throat while trying to help Lazlo, "Right, sorry, Hatter, _enemies_. I'm just telling them where I am," he held his sonic up, a high-pitched sound sounded, the tip flashing.

"Any chances of going with plane B?" the Hatter joked nervously.

...

"I'm telling you to go," the Doctor argued with Frank and Martha as they frowned at him, the Hatter was trying everything she could to help Lazlo but sadly she was limited in what she could do, "Frank can take you back to Hoorville".

"And I'm telling you I'm not going," Martha glared at him.

The Hatter sighed, standing up and join the Doctor, all readying knowing that this wouldn't end well.

"Martha, that's an order".

"Doctor," the Hatter frowned at him.

"Who are you, then? Some sort of Dalek?"

"Martha!" the Hatter exclaimed, glancing at the Doctor, putting a hand on his arm.

Suddenly the doors burst open, cutting off anything the Doctor might have said, two lines of humans on either side of them filed in, each carrying a large gun, very similar to that of a Dalek laser. The Hatter narrowed her eyes at them before quietly gasping, glancing at the Doctor who winked at her, smiling.

"Oh, my God!" Tallulah gasped fearfully, "Well I guess that's them then, huh?"

"Humans…with Dalek DNA," the Hatter said, eyeing them, "Interesting".

Frank moved forward, getting ready to attack but the Doctor stopped him, "It's alright. Just stay calm. Don't antagonize them".

"But what about the Dalek masters?" Lazlo asked slightly breathless, "Where are they?"

No sooner had he spoken then there was an explosion on the stage. They all ducked behind the seats, avoiding pieces of wood and dust, before slowly peering over the top of the seats to see two Daleks moving towards them on the stage through the dust, Sec chained between them, forced to crawl. The Doctor and the Hatter glanced at each, slowly standing while the others stayed looking over the top of the seats.

"The Doctor and the Hatter will stand before the Daleks," the first Dalek ordered. The Doctor took the Hatter's hand; the Hatter gave him a small smile before stepping onto the back of the chairs in front of them, walking a few rows forward until they reach the first row, "You will die, Doctor, Hatter. It is the beginning of a new age".

"Planet Earth will become New Skaro," the second Dalek agreed, the Hatter shook her head in disgust.

"Oh, and what a world," the Doctor glared at the Daleks, "With anything just the slightest bit different ground into the dirt. That's Dalek Sec. Don't you remember? The cleverest Dalek ever and look what you've done to him. Is this your new empire? Hmm? Is that the foundation for a whole new civilization?"

"My Daleks..." Sec begged, "Just understand this. If you choose death and destruction, then death and destruction will choose you".

"Well said," the Hatter nodded.

"Incorrect," the second Dalek said, "We will always survive".

"Now we will destroy our greatest enemies, the Doctor and the Hatter!"

"But they can help you," Sec pleaded.

"The Doctor and the Hatter must die".

"No, I beg you, don't," Sec tried.

"Exterminate!" the second Dalek cried just as Sec stood, the first Dalek firing, killing Sec instead of the Doctor and the Hatter.

"Your own leader," the Hatter looked at Sec's body, disgust written all over her face, "The only creature who might have led you out of the darkness and you destroyed him," she looked at the Dalek Humans, pointing at the Daleks, "Did you see what they just did? Hmm? That's what a real Dalek is, nothing but bloodshed and pain," she turned back to the Daleks, "If the Doctor and I are going to die, let's give the new kids a shot. What do you think, hmm? The Human Daleks. Their first blood".

"Go on, baptize them," the Doctor added, taking the Hatter's hand again, both throwing their arms out beside them.

"Human Daleks, take aim," the first Dalek ordered, they cocked the guns, aiming them at the Time Lords.

"What are you waiting for?" the Doctor shouted, "Give the command!"

"Exterminate!" the second Dalek cried, the Doctor took a deep breath while the Hatter closed her eyes. Martha turned away, burring her face into Frank's chest, but nothing happened.

"Exterminate!" the Dalek cried again, still nothing.

"Obey," the first Dalek commended, "Dalek Human will obey".

"They're not firing," Martha breathed, turning back around, "What have you done?"

"You will obey!" the first Dalek shouted, "Exterminate!"

"Why?" a male Dalek Human asked, the Doctor and the Hatter looked over to him.

"Daleks do not question orders," the first Dalek said.

"But why?"

"You will stop this".

"But..." the Human Dalek glanced at the Doctor and the Hatter, "...why?"

"You must not question".

"But you are not our masters," the man responded, the Hatter frowned before gasping as she realized something, "And we...we are not Daleks".

"No, you're not, and you never will be," the Doctor nodded, turning back to the Daleks, "Sorry, I got in the way of the lightening strike".

"Time Lord DNA was mixed up," the Hatter added, "And not just the Doctor's but my own DNA," she looked at the Doctor, "Earlier, when we were up at the mast, I kissed you on the check. When you were struck it was still there. Part human, part Doctor, and part, well, me. Just that little bit of freedom but I don't particle like the idea of being called 'Master'".

"If they do not obey, then they must die," the second Dalek said before shooting the human who had spoken.

"Get down!" the Doctor shouted, pushing the Hatter down with him as the others did the same, each side of humans started firing at the Daleks.

"Exterminate!" the Daleks shouted, firing at the hybrids, "Exterminate!"

A few of the hybrids were killed but it wasn't long before the first Dalek was destroyed and then the second. The hybrids ceased fire, slowly lowering their guns.

"It's alright," the Doctor stood, walking over to them as the Hatter followed his lead, "It's alright. It's alright. You did it. You're free".

A moment later all of the hybrids grabbed their heads, screaming in pain, collapsing onto the floor, dead, "No!" the Doctor and the Hatter shouted together, "They can't! They can't!"

Martha ran over to them, the Hatter knelt down to one of the hybrids but it was too late, "What happened?" Martha questioned, "What was that?"

"They killed 'em," the Doctor breathed, still in shock, the Hatter walked back over to him, pulling his into a hug, trying to calm him down, "Rather than let them live. An entire species. Genocide".

"Only two of the Daleks have been destroyed," Lazlo said, making the Doctor and the Hatter break apart, "One of the Daleks masters must still be alive".

"Oh, yes. In the whole Universe, just one".

...

"Now what?" the Doctor asked the last Dalek in the Universe, still connected to the battle computer at the end of the laboratory. The Hatter stood beside him, holding his hand, facing down the thing that had destroyed so much in their lives, together.

"You will be exterminated," the Dalek replied.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Just think about it, Dalek...what was your name?"

"Dalek Caan".

"Dalek Caan," the Doctor nodded, walking forward with the Hatter, "Your entire species has been wiped out. And now the Cult of Skaro has been eradicated. Leaving only you. Right now you're facing the only two people in the Universe who might show you some compassion. 'Cos I've seen one genocide. I won't cause another. Caan...let us help you. What do you say?"

"Emergency Temporal Shift!"

The Doctor and the Hatter lunged forward but it was too late, Caan disappeared, leaving wires hanging around and a furies Doctor.

"Oh, that was clever and extremely annoying!" the Hatter shouted at thin air, glaring at the empty space, "I hate Daleks".

"Yeah, join the club," the Doctor muttered.

"Doctor!" Martha shouted, they both turned around to see her and Tallulah struggling to carry Lazlo, "Hatter! He's sick!" Lazlo started wheezing, panting, struggling to breathe as they laid him on the floor, "It's okay. You're going to be alright," the Doctor and the Hatter ran over to them, kneeling beside Lazlo, "It's his heart. It's racing like mad. I've never seen anything like it".

"What is it, Doctor, Hatter?" Tallulah asked, looking at him and the Hatter with tears in her eyes, "What's the matter with him? He says he can't breathe? What is it?"

"It's time, sweetheart," Lazlo wheezed.

"What do you mean 'time?'" Tallulah shook her head, almost crying, "What are you talking about?"

"None of the slaves...survive for long. Most of them only live a few weeks. I was lucky. I held on 'cos I had you. But now...I'm dyin', Tallulah".

"No you're not," Tallulah cried, "Not now, after all this. Doctor, Hatter, can't you do somethin'?"

"Oh, Tallulah with three Ls and an H...just you watch us!" the Doctor jumped to his feet, throwing his coat over his shoulder as the Hatter did the same, along with her scarf, "What do we need? Oh, I don't know..."

"How about a great big genetic laboratory?" the Hatter stood in the middle, looking around before grinning, "Oh look, we've got one. Fancy that. Lazlo, hold on, I made a promise to you and I'm not going to brake it," They started running around, mixing up a solution, "Bring back any memories, Doctor?"

The Doctor grinned at her before turning serious again, "There's been too many deaths today. Way too many people have died. Brand new creatures and wise old men and age-old enemies. And I'm telling you, I'm telling you right now, I am not having one more death! Got that? Not one! Tallulah, out of the way," he pulled his stethoscope out of his pocket, moving towards Lazlo, "The Doctor is in!"

...

The Doctor, the Hatter, Martha, Tallulah, and Lazlo stood in Central Park, Tallulah with an arm around Lazlo.

"Well," Frank walked over to them, "I talked to 'em and I told 'em what Solomon would've said and I reckon I shamed one or two of 'em".

"Well done, Frank," the Hatter smiled at him, "Solomon would have been proud. What did they say?"

"They said yes," Frank said, Tallulah laughed and hugged Lazlo, "They'll give you a home, Lazlo. I mean, uh, don't imagine people ain't gonna stare. I can't promise you'll be at peace but, in the end, that is what Hooverville is for, people ain't got nowhere else".

"Thank you," Lazlo smiled at them genuinely, "I...I can't thank you enough".

"It was our pleasure, Lazlo," the Hatter smiled at them again.

...

"Do you reckon it's gonna work, those two?" Martha asked, back on the Liberty Island, looking out onto the city once again.

"I don't know," the Doctor said, one arm linked through the Hatter's, "Anywhere else in the Universe, I might worry about them, but New York, that's what this city's good at".

"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, and maybe the odd pig-slave-Dalek-mutant-hybrid too," the Hatter added, smiling, "I Just hope New Yorks ready for it".

"The pig and the showgirl," Martha laughed high fiving with the Hatter.

"The pig and the showgirl," the Doctor and the Hatter laughed together.

"Just proves it, I suppose," Martha smiled, giving the Doctor a pointed look that only the Hatter noticed, "There's someone for everyone".

"Maybe," the Doctor said, looking at the Hatter who was looking out at the city's skyline.

"For most people, yes," the Hatter sighed, "But for me, I think that ship sailed a long time ago if there was even a ship at all. 'The Gifted One,' never married, only reason that I did was because I was already promised to marry before I was even born. Talk about planning ahead".

The Hatter shook her head, turning back around and walking over to the TARDIS, the Doctor followed, frowning.

Martha glanced at them both before following, "Meant to say...sorry".

"What for?" the Doctor asked, looking at her.

"Just 'cos that Dalek got away. I know what that means to you. Think you'll ever see it again?"

"Oh yes," the Doctor replied, the Hatter opened the door, walking in with Martha, "One day," he looked at the city for a moment before closing the door.

...

"Goodnight, Martha," the Hatter smiled, leaning against one of the railings in the consol room, lightly blowing on the top of her cup of tea, "Word of advice, if you can't sleep, look inside your bathroom cabinet. I know from past expressions that the first time meeting a Dalek can leave you with nightmares. Scratch that anytime can leave you with nightmares".

"Thanks," Martha smiled at her, "Night, Doctor".

"Night," the Doctor replied as she walked out of the room, he waited until her footsteps disappeared before turning to the Hatter, crossing his arms, "Are you alright?"

The Hatter looked at him, blinking, "Yes, why?"

"Daleks".

The Hatter shrugged, taking a sip of her tea, "Daleks, are Daleks, Doctor, what can I say other than that?"

"I saw the way they affected you, Hatter," the Doctor frowned, leaning against the consol, "I haven't seen you that scared sines the war".

"I've always hated Daleks," the Hatter sighed, "Just as much as you do, yes, I was scared but not for myself, oh no, I was scared for _you_".

"Me?" the Doctor stared at her, "Me?"

"Yes you," the Hatter rolled her eyes at him, "Why is so hard to believe that someone could be worried about you, hmm?"

"Sorry, habit," the Doctor shrugged.

"What about with, Rose?" the Hatter frowned at him, putting her cup on the side of consol and leaning across from him, "I know for a fact that she did worry about you, did you ever talk to her about things like this?"

The Doctor scratched the back of his head, giving the Hatter a knowing smile, "You're trying to get me to talk about the things that pain me".

"It helps, trust me," the Hatter said, "Talking about the things that pain us is an excellent why of healing one's self. Just...try it, for me," she made a begging motion with her hands, "Pretty please, Doctor, with a banana and crunchy ball bearings on top".

The Doctor laughed, giving a surrender sign to her, "Alright, fine, if it'll make you happy, what do you want me to talk about first?"

"Well, what do you want to talk about first?"

"Bananas and crunchy ball bearings...ow! Hatter, I'm only telling you what you asked me".

"Doctor," the Hatter gave him a stern look, "I will hit you again and this time it won't be on your arm. How about you talk about...oh, I know, why you feel the need to jump in front of me at the first sign of danger," the Doctor groaned, "I mean, you've always been proactive of me but even you have to admit that it's getting ridicules. I'm a grown woman for goodness sack, Doctor, I can take care of myself. You're beginning to act like my mother".

"That's unfair," the Doctor pointed at her, "Your mother was a very lovely lady".

"She was also the woman who kept my own children's deaths from me," the Hatter replied darkly, making the Doctor wince, "My mother could be lovely when it suited her but she could also be a worse nightmare. Have you forgotten that she refused to let you, my best friend, go to _my_ wedding! It was my wedding, I didn't won't to get married in the first place, the least she could have done was let you go".

"Do we have to talk about you marriage to that..." he searched for a word for a moment, "Man".

The Hatter looked at him, frowning, "Another thing, every time I mention my marriage you look like you're ready to punch something. Why?"

The Doctor avoided her eyes, "I just hate the thought of you being in pain," well, it was true, partly.

"Hmm," the Hatter watched him for a moment before shrugging, "You do realise that we're supposed to be talking about you, not me".

"But I like talking about you," the Doctor tried but the Hatter glared at him, "Right, sorry," he sighed, closing his eyes and after a moment of silence spoke, but this time he was quite, almost like a whisper, "I thought you died".

The Hatter blinked and then realised what he was talking about, "You mean at the end of the war?"

He nodded, eyes still tightly shut, "I thought you died and that I killed you. When I was told that you were missing by your mother...I didn't...I didn't think I could use The Moment, not if it meant killing any chances of you still being alive".

"Oh, Doctor," the Hatter sighed, moving closer to him and taking his hand, "I'm so, so, so, sorry for putting you through that. I wanted to tell you, to let you know my plane but I couldn't. I didn't even know if I would go through with it at all, but that night, when I saw how...desperate and broken you were...it broke my hearts. You were so confused, scared, and lost, all I could do to help you was give you the tools that you needed. I hate myself every day for not telling you, maybe you would have been different after the war or maybe you would have been worse, I don't know".

"Don't say that," the Doctor shook his head, opening his eyes and looking at her, "Don't ever, ever say that I would be better off without you!"

They looked at each other for a long time, the Hatter slowly nodded, "I'm sorry, I won't say something like that again".

The Doctor nodded, looking down at the floor, "When it did come time to use The Moment, I remembered what you had said, I remembered you begging me to save the Universe if not for myself then for you and I did".

"I'm sorry, Doctor," the Hatter breathed after a long moment of silence between them, "You did that for me?"

"Of course," the Doctor said at once, looking her in her eyes, "I would do anything for you. Anything".

"Doctor, this is a bit more serious then some promise that a couple of school kids made to each other," the Hatter shook her head, completely shocked that anyone would be willing to do something like that for her.

"I mean it, Hatter," the Doctor told her seriously, "I would do everything and anything for you, no matter what".

The Hatter stared at him, seeing how serous he was, "You're not joking. Why aren't you joking?"

"Because I'm being serous. Everything and anything for you".

"I think I need to lie down now".

"Yeah, I think that's probably a good idea".

_**I'm not sure if I like how this chapter turned out, it was a lot harder to write from the past one but I enjoyed writing the end even if the Doctor was depressed for it. I thought about writing a flash back for this chapter but I could find a place to fit it in. Tell me what you thought, please review.**_


	12. Chapter 12 The Lazarus Experiment part 1

_**The Lazarus Experiment part 1**_

The Doctor and the Hatter ran around the console, flying them through the Time Vortex while Martha clutched tightly onto the console in the hope that she wouldn't go flying off and hurt herself like the Hatter had mentioned earlier that mourning had happened to one of her own companions.

Luckily the two Time Lords managed to land a moment later, the Doctor turning to Martha, "There we go...perfect landing, thank you, Hatter," the Hatter rolled her eyes at him but it was ruined by her smile, "Which isn't easy in a tight spot".

"You should be used to tight spots by now," Martha teased them.

"It would have been easier if you had let me take the brakes off," the Hatter shook her head, looking at the Doctor, "But no, you had to give me a lecture for five minutes about why you kept them on when all you had to say was that you liked the sound".

"Oi!" the Doctor pointed his finger at her, "Your TARDIS made the same sound".

"Yes, but my TARDIS wasn't a Type 40 well over her five hundred year services," the Hatter argued, "I keep telling you to let me do it also, my TARDIS was meant to sound like that yours isn't," she nudged Martha's arm, "And he wonders why he can't get where he wants".

Martha laughed at the pouting look that the Doctor had on his face, shaking her head she looked back to them, "So, where are we?"

"The end of the line," the Doctor told her vaguely, Martha grinned and ran over to the doors, not noticing the sad look that passed the Hatter's face, "No place like it".

Martha looked at them for a moment, wondering if it was safe until the Doctor nodded, glancing at the Hatter who gave her a slightly sad smile, nodding before opening the doors, stepping into the last place she had been expecting. Her own living room.

"Home," Martha said, sounding unimpressed as the Doctor and the Hatter stepped out behind her, looking around, "You took me home?"

"In fact, the morning after we left, so you've only been gone about twelve hours," the Doctor remarked, looking at some of the photos around the room while the Hatter leant against the TARDIS, "No time at all, really".

"But all the stuff we've done, Shakespeare, New New York, old New York..."

"All in one night," the Hatter smiled at her, trying not to show how upset she was about all of this, the last thing she wanted was to upset the Doctor as well, "Well, relatively speaking, anyway. That's the lovely and very handy thing about time travel".

"Everything should be just as it was, books, CDs," the Doctor picked a piece of underwear off the drying rack beside him, "Laundry..." Martha snatched them back, looking mortified while the Hatter hit him on the back of his head, "So, back were you were, as promised".

"This is it?" Martha questioned.

"Yeah," the Doctor inhaled deeply while the Hatter sighed, "We should probably...um..." he trailed off as Martha's phone rang.

"Hi!" the machine picked up, "I'm out! Leave a message!"

"I'm sorry," Martha apologized, looking embarrassed.

"Martha, are you there?" Martha's mother's voices came on, "Pick it up, will you?"

"It's mum," Martha shook her head, "It'll wait".

"Alright then, pretend that you're out if you like," Martha's mother spoke again, "I was only calling to say that your sister's on TV. On the news of all things. Just thought you might be interested".

Martha grabbed the TV remote and turned it on to see her sister standing in the background while an older man stood in front of the crowed, giving a press conference, "The details are top secret..."

"How could Tish end up on the news?" Martha said, sounding thoughtful.

"Tonight, I will demonstrate a device..."

"She's got a new job," Martha told the Hatter and the Doctor, glancing at them, "PR for some research lab".

"...with the push of a single button, I will change what it means to be human".

Martha shook her head, turning the TV off and looking back to them, "Sorry. You were saying we should..."

"Yes, yes we should," the Doctor nodded, glancing at the Hatter who was still staring at the TV, looking thoughtful, "One trip is what I said".

"I'm sorry, Martha," the Hatter tore her eyes away from the television, looking at the woman sadly, "I tried to change his mind but he can be more stubborn then me".

"I'm not that bad," the Doctor shook his head.

"Trust me, sweetheart, you are," the Hatter smiled at him, patting the side of his cheek.

"I suppose things just kind of...escalated," Martha smiled at them a little sadly; she was going to miss listening to their banter with each other.

"Mmm," the Doctor nodded, "Seems to happen a lot".

"Thank you," Martha tried to smile but the Hatter could tell that she was faking it but her words were genuine, "For everything".

"It was our pleasure, Martha Jones," the Hatter smiled, giving her a hug before following the Doctor back inside the TARDIS, poking her head out of the doors, "This isn't the last time you'll be seeing us, I'll bet my hat on it," she waved at her before shutting the doors.

Martha watched sadly as the TARDIS disappeared before her, blinking back tears. She shook her head and began to turn away when the TARDIS started to rematerialize in the same spot again.

The Doctor's head popped out of the doors a moment later, "No, I'm sorry. Did he say he was going to change what it means to be human?"

Before Martha could answer, the Hatter's head appeared just below the Doctor's chin, grinning, "This probably isn't the best time to say this but...I told you so".

...

The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS, grumbling under his breath as he fiddled with his cuffs, both Martha and the Hatter had forced him to at least make some sort of an effort if they had to.

Martha was already dressed in a pretty sleeveless, dark purple, knee high dress with a V-neckline, standing in front of a mirror, fixing her hair. When she glanced up she stopped what she was doing and stared at the Doctor.

"Is this better?" the Doctor asked, spinning around.

All Martha could do was nod.

"Martha, do I have to wear heels?" the Hatter sighed, walking into the room, holding a pair of purple heels in one hand and a purple clutch bag in the other, "I mean, I can understand why I can't wear a hat by heels, I'll end up tripping over with those death traps on".

The Doctor turned around, his mouth dropping as he stared at her; he could literally feel his breath being court in his throat. She was dressed in a floor length, strapless, purple gown. The top half of the gown was covered in purple sequins while the waist down, fell loosely to the floor. Her hair was up in an elegant bun, showing the necklace the Doctor had given her clearly along with a pair of hanging, star earrings. The only makeup that she had on was eyeliner that brought out her green eyes but the Doctor had never thought that she needed makeup to do that.

"You...you..." the Doctor breathed, gaping at her like a goldfish, not being able to look away.

The Hatter looked up at him, surprised by his reaction, "You like it?"

The Doctor opened and closed his mouth, not trusting himself to speak so settled on nodding. The Hatter blushed as she noticed they way he kept staring at her.

"Um, well, you look wonderful yourself," the Hatter said, shaking her head before giving him a fond smile, "One of these days you will learn how to tie a bowtie propel," she slipped the heels on and started helping the Doctor with his tie, glancing over her shoulder to Martha, "Oh, don't you look beautiful, Martha Jones, don't you think so, Doctor?"

"Hmm?" the Doctor looked dazed for a moment, still staring at the Hatter before glancing at Martha, "Oh, yes, lovely".

The Hatter hit his arm, "Lovely? She looks beautiful".

The Doctor blushed, avoiding looking at anyone, glancing at the cloak, "Shouldn't...shouldn't we be heading off?"

Martha glanced at the cloak, "Yeah, it's only around the corner from here".

"Come on then," the Hatter linked her arm through the Doctor's, following Martha out the door and onto the street. The Doctor kept fussing with his cuffs, the Hatter slapped his hand away from his sleeves, "Stop it, you're driving me insane".

"Oh, black tie," he muttered, "Whenever I wear this, something bad always happens".

"It's not the outfit," Martha remarked, smiling at him, "That's just you. Anyway, I think it suits you, in a 'James Bond' sort of way".

"Now that you mention it," the Hatter nodded, looking at the Doctor.

"James Bond?" the Doctor asked defensively, before rethinking, "Really?"

Martha and the Hatter laughed as they walked up the stairs to the entrance of Lazarus Laboratories.

...

The main reception room inside the Laboratory was filled with guests, mingling with each other, all dressed in expensive clothing, drinking champion. But that wasn't what the Hatter was looking at; standing in the middle of the room was a large white cabinet with four pillars around it. The Doctor, though, was more interested in the hors d'oeuvres being passed around on trays.

"Oh, look, they've got nibbles!" the Doctor grinned, snatching a handful off a passing tray, "I love nibbles!" he tossed a few in his mouth when he noticed the Hatter shaking her head at him, "What?"

"Your mother would be appalled," she shook her head, "Come to think of it, so would my mother. Maybe that's a good thing".

Suddenly Martha's sister, Tish, walked over to them, "Hello!"

"Tish!" Martha hugged her while the Doctor and the Hatter watched.

"You look great," Tish complemented Martha, "So, what do you think? Impressive, isn't it?"

Martha looked around, nodding, "Very".

"And two nights out in a row for you, that's dangerously close to a social life".

"If I keep this up, I'll end up in all the gossip columns".

"You might, actually," Tish told her seriously, "Keep an eye out for photographers. And mum, she's coming too, even dragging Leo along with her".

"Leo in black tie?" Martha raised her eyebrows in disbelief, "That I must see," Tish smiled, glancing at the Doctor and the Hatter beside them, "This is the Hatter and, uh, the Doctor".

"Hello," the Doctor smiled, shaking Tish hand.

"Lovely to met you," the Hatter smiled, also shaking her hand after the Doctor.

"Are they with you?" Tish asked Martha.

"Yeah".

"But they're not on the list," Tish frowned, glancing at her clipboard, "How did they get in?"

"He's my plus one," Martha replied, sending the Hatter an apologetic look for not including her.

"And I'm here at the request of the Royal Hope Hospitals board," the Hatter smiled, giving Martha a not to worry look, "Dr. Emma Smith, everyone calls me the Hatter, though, I'm afraid that I was ask to intend earlier today after the very sudden and tragic death of Mr Stoker, I doubt that my name will be on your list".

Tish glanced down at her list again, "Oh, right, I see, so sorry for all the trouble".

"Not at all," the Hatter waved it off, winking at the Doctor and Martha.

"So, this Lazarus bloke, he's your boss?" the Doctor asked Tish, giving the Hatter an impressed look.

"Professor Lazarus, yes," Tish nodded, "I'm part of his executive staff".

"She's part of the PR department," Martha rolled her eyes.

"I'm _head_ of the PR department, actually," Tish corrected.

"You're joking!"

"I put this whole thing together".

"Do you know what professor Lazarus is doing tonight?" the Hatter asked, looking at the device, "That looks like it might be a..."

"Sonic microfield manipulator," the Doctor and the Hatter finished in unison.

"They're science geeks," Tish remarked, eyeing them, "I should've known. Gotta get back to work now. I'll catch up with you later".

"Science geeks?" the Doctor asked Martha after Tish walked away, "What does that mean?"

"That you're both obsessively enthusiastic about it," Martha explained, smiling.

"Well, I won't lie about that," the Hatter shrugged.

"Martha!" an older woman called, walking over to them with a young man beside her.

Martha turned and ran over to her, hugging her tightly, "Mum!"

"Oh," she smiled a little surprised, hugging her back, "Alright, what's the occasion?"

"What do you mean?" Martha shook her head, smiling, "I'm just pleased to see you, that's all".

"You saw me last night".

"I know," Martha shrugged, "I just...miss you..." she lightly hit her brother's chest, "You're looking good, Leo".

"Yeah," Leo smiled, "If anyone asks me to fetch 'em a drink, I'll swing for him".

Mrs. Jones smiled but it quickly dropped when she noticed the Doctor standing behind Martha, "You disappeared last night".

"I...just went home," Martha said, looking away.

"On your own?"

"These are some friends of mine," Martha introduced, pulling the Hatter and Doctor forward, "This is the Hatter and the Doctor".

"Doctor what?" Mrs. Jones asked at once, cutting in, giving the Doctor a look that made the Hatter laugh quietly into her hand, for some reason this looked like it was going to turn into the same thing that happened when the Doctor met her parents.

"No, it's just the Doctor," Martha shook her head, "And the Hatter..."

"Dr. Emma Smith, lovely to meet you, Mrs. Jones," the Hatter cut in quickly, making Martha and the Doctor look at her, "Everyone calls me the Hatter because...oh, long, long story".

"A doctor of what, Miss. Smith?" Mrs. Jones questioned.

"Um, well, let me think," the Hatter looked thoughtful for a moment, "Last count, I had seven doctorates but that's only counting the ones from home but I guess the full total would be..."

"We've been working together," Martha cut in quickly before the Hatter could say anything else.

"Yeah, alright," the Doctor shook Leo's hand and Mrs. Jones's, "Lovely to meet you, Mrs Jones. Heard a lot about you".

"Have you?" Mrs. Jones remarked, eyeing him, "What have you heard, then?"

"Oh, you know, that you're Martha's mother and...um..." the Doctor trailed off as the Hatter turned away so the others wouldn't see her laughing, "No, actually, that's...that's about it. We haven't had much time to chat, you know, been busy".

"Busy?" Mrs. Jones raised her eyebrows, looking in-between him and her daughter, "Doing what exactly?"

"Oh..." the Doctor glanced at the Hatter for help, "...you know...stuff".

The Hatter took a deep breath to stop herself from laughing, turning back around to face the group, "I must apologize for my friend, Mrs. Jones, he has a bit of a habit of talking before he thinks. Come to think of it, I'm starting to pick up on that habit".

Before Mrs. Jones could say anything, someone tapped a glass and Mr. Lazarus stepped in front of the crowed, standing in front of his invention, "Ladies and gentlemen, I am Professor Richard Lazarus and tonight I'm going to perform a miracle. It is, I believe, the most important advance since Rutherford split the atom, the biggest leap since Armstrong stood on the moon. Tonight, you will watch and wonder. Tomorrow, you'll awake to a world which will be changed forever".

He turned and opened the door, pausing for a moment for a photograph before entering the cabinet, closing the door. Two female technicians started the machinery off to the side of the room where there was bank of equipment. The Doctor and the Hatter exchanged looks, both concerned about what was happening just as the machine began to make a high-pitched, whirring sound and the four pillars around the device started spinning, a bright blue light emitted from it. The crowed, all but the Doctor and the Hatter covered their eyes, looking away as the light created an energy field. Suddenly the pillars spinning become faster and faster and an alarm went off.

"Something's wrong!" the Hatter gasped, watching in horror, "It's overloading!"

The technicians began running around the equipment, struggling to gain control as some of the panels exploded. The Doctor and the Hatter ran over to them, the Doctor jumping low desk while the Hatter cursed her outfit, being forced to take the long way around. The Doctor flashing the controls with his sonic while the Hatter quickly started working on the override.

"Somebody stop them!" an older woman, Lady Thaw, shouted, "Get them away from those controls!"

"You have got to be kidding me," the Hatter rolled her eyes, not looking up, "If this goes off, it'll take the entire building and some with it. Is that what you want?"

After a moment the Hatter gave up in trying to override the control, that's when she spotted some of the wiring connected to the cabinet. She dashed over to it and pulled it out; slowly the pillars stopped spinning and the energy filed retreated.

Martha ran over to the door while the Doctor jumped over the table, helping the Hatter over and joining Martha a moment later, "Get it open!" the Doctor shouted, running over.

Martha pulled the door open and through the smoke, Lazarus stagged out, looking 45 years younger. The photographers started snapping pictures as Lazarus touched his face, completely amazed by his own invention.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Lazarus called to the crowed, stepping out propel, "I am Richard Lazarus. I am 76 years old and I am reborn!"

Everyone began to clap while the Doctor and the Hatter exchanged looks.

...

The Doctor and the Hatter stood outside of the machine, examining it while Martha watched Lazarus mingling with the other guests, posing for photographs, mostly with women.

"It can't be the same guy," Martha frowned, still trying to wrap her head around it, "It's impossible. It must be a trick".

"Firstly, Martha," the Hatter looked over to her, "Nothing is impossible just a bit unlikely. Secondly, it's not a trick".

"Wish it were," the Doctor remarked, flashing his sonic at the device.

"What just happened, then?"

"He just changed what it means to be human," the Doctor replied, sighing as they walked over to the man of the hour.

"I'm famished," Lazarus was saying to Lady Thaw as he ate handfuls of hors d'oeuvres.

"Energy deficit," the Doctor and the Hatter said in unison, watching him, "Always happens with this kind of process".

"You speak as if you see this every day..." Lazarus trailed off, turning around.

"The Hatter," the Hatter introduced herself, "Oh, Dr. Emma Smith but I prefer the Hatter".

"Doctor," the Doctor added, "And, well, no, not every day, but we have some experience in this kind of transformation".

"That's not possible," Lazarus shook his head.

"Using hypersonic sound waves to create a state of renounce," the Hatter stated simply.

"That's...that's inspired," the Doctor added, smiling at the Hatter.

"You understand the theory, then," Lazarus said, surprised by their knowledge.

"Hatter," the Doctor turned to her, "How old were you when you built something very similar to this?"

The Hatter gave him a look, realising that he was trying to prove to Lazarus that they knew better, "About...4, 5 years old," she shrugged, "But then two of my cousins 'accidently' pushed it over. It was slightly smaller than yours, Mr. Lazarus. My parents were furies with them, I never saw them again, they were band from visiting my house after that".

Lazarus stared at them, waiting for one of them to laugh, "Impossible".

"Nope, just a bit unlikely," the Doctor grinned, "Unless you know the Hatter then it's an everyday thing".

"Back to the main point," the Hatter cut in, giving the Doctor another look, "Mr. Lazarus, I'm sorry to say that I'm quite concerned that you haven't taken all of the variables into account".

"No experiment is entirely without risk," Lazarus waved them off, deciding not to take them seriously.

"That thing nearly exploded," the Doctor argued, the Hatter shaking her head, "You might as well have stepped into a blender".

"You're not qualified to comment," Lady Thaw glared at them, mainly towards the Hatter, not believing her for a moment.

"If we hadn't stopped it, it would have exploded," the Doctor glared back, hating the way they were treating the Hatter. He had never told the Hatter about taking Rose off to the side after an adventure and telling her to at least try to be a little nicer towards the Hatter, mainly because the Hatter would have told him off for fighting her battles. Sadly it never worked and he was forced to watch but not anymore, if there was anything he could do to keep her safe then he was going to do.

"Then I thank you, Doctor, Hatter," Lazarus smiled at them, "But there's a simple engineering issue. What happened inside the capsule was exactly what was supposed to happen. No more, no less".

"You've no way of knowing that until you've run proper tests," Martha argued, frowning at him.

Lazarus laughed, "Look at me! You can see what happened. I'm all the proof you need".

"Lazarus," the Hatter reached out and grabbed his arm, "A device like this needs to be exact in every way, yours is not. Trust me, I know what happens when a process's like this takes place without the correct balance between subject and machine. It's not too late to reverse the effects".

Lazarus laughed again, the Hatter dropped his arm, "I have no intention of reversing anything, Miss. Smith".

"This device will be properly certified before we start to operate commercially," Lady Thaw told them, giving the Hatter a smug look.

"Commercially?" Martha exclaimed, "You are joking. That'll cause chaos".

"Not chaos," Lazarus smiled, "Change. A chance for humanity to evolve, to improve".

"And they will," the Hatter augured, "But only with time will change happen. This isn't about improving. This is about your customers living a little longer".

"Not a little longer, Hatter," Lazarus shook his head, "A lot longer. Perhaps indefinitely".

"Richard, we have things to discuss," Lady Thaw cut in, "Upstairs," and with that, she turned and walked away.

Lazarus moved to follow her but changed his mind, turning back to the group, "Goodbye, Doctor, Hatter. In a few years time, you'll look back and laugh at how wrong you were," he kissed the back of Martha's hand, moving to kiss the Hatter's until the Doctor stepped in front of her, giving Lazarus a warning look. They looked at each other for a moment before Lazarus walked away.

"Oh, he's out of depth," the Doctor shook his head, watching Lazarus walk away, "No idea of the damage he might have done".

"He's a fool," the Hatter sighed sadly, "The human body isn't meant to go through something like this, well, not yet. Human biology is to delicate to...Oh, I really don't want to call it soft because that makes me sound like my parents but it is".

"So what do we do now?" Martha asked them.

"No...well, this building must be full of laboratories," the Doctor said, "I say we do our own tests".

"Oh, I do love laboratories," the Hatter smiled.

Martha glanced down at her hand, smiling, "Lucky I've just collected a DNA sample then, isn't it?"

"Oh, Martha Jones, you're a star," the Doctor grinned, leading them away from the party.

...

"Amazing," the Doctor muttered as they sat in front of a computer, watching the results of Lazarus's DNA.

"I don't think that's the word I would use, Doctor," the Hatter remarked, watching the screen, court between horrified and being sad.

"What?" Martha asked, looking in-between them.

"Lazarus's DNA," the Doctor nodded to the screen.

"I can't see anything different," Martha frowned.

"Look at it!"

"Doctor," the Hatter sighed just as Lazarus's DNA flickered and differences appeared on the DNA.

"Oh, my God!" Martha exclaimed, staring at the screen, shocked, "Did that change? But it can't have!"

"Oh, but it did," the Hatter nodded.

"It's impossible," Martha shook her head.

"And that's two impossible things we've seen tonight," the Doctor grinned, looking at the Hatter who was shaking her head at him, "Don't you love it when that happens?"

"Sometimes but tonight, no," the Hatter said, "Especially when I'm wearing a dress that I can hardly run in and don't get me started on high-heeled-death-traps".

"That means Lazarus has changed his own molecular patterns," Martha gasped.

"Hypersonic sound waves to destabilise the cell structure," the Hatter nodded, "Then a mutagenic program to manipulate the coding in the protein strands," she looked at Martha but she didn't seem to be following along, "Right, sorry Martha, basically, he hacked into his own genes and instructed them to rejuvenate".

"But they're still mutating now," Martha frowned, shaking her head.

"'Cos he missed something," the Doctor nodded, "Something in his DNA has been activated and won't let him stabilizer. Something that's trying to change him".

"Change him into what?" Martha questioned.

"I'm not quite sure yet," the Hatter sighed, "But we need to find out".

"That woman said they were going upstairs," Martha realised.

"Let's go!" the Doctor grabbed the Hatter's hand, running to the lift with Martha following.

...

They stepped out of the lift, standing in Lazarus's office; the Doctor switched the lights on and looked around.

"This is his office, alright," Martha remarked, glancing at the expensive future scatted around.

"So, where is he?" the Doctor asked, frowning.

"Dunno," Martha shrugged, "Let's try back at the re...ception..." she trailed off, looking horrified as she spotted a pair of skeleton bones, wearing high heels, sticking out behind the desk. They rushed over to it, "Is that Lady Thaw?"

"It was," the Hatter sighed, kneeling beside the Doctor, examining the remains, "She had all of her life energy drained out of her. Not the most pleasant way to go, at least she didn't fall off her heels," the Doctor looked at her, "Right, sorry, it's just that this dresses and shoes remained me of my mother".

"Wait, do you mean Lazarus did this?" Martha gasped.

"Could be," the Doctor nodded, trying not to smile at the Hatter.

"So he's changed already?" Martha said.

"Not necessarily," the Hatter said thoughtfully, "You saw the DNA. It was still fluctuating. The process must need energy," she glanced back to the body, "This wasn't enough but that also means that there's still a chances that we could turn him back".

"So he might do this again?" Martha gasped, horrified.

The Doctor and the Hatter exchanged looks and nodded before running back to the lift, hoping to be able to get to the reception and warn people Lazarus changed again.

...

"I can't see him," Martha sighed as they looked around the reception area, searching for Lazarus.

"He can't have gone far," the Doctor shook his head, "Keep looking".

"Hey, you alright, Martha?" Leo called her over, the Doctor walking off while the Hatter stayed with Martha, "I think mum wants to talk to you".

"Have you seen Lazarus anywhere?" Martha asked him desperately.

"Yeah," Leo nodded, "He was getting cozy with Tish a couple of minutes ago".

"With Tish?" Martha exclaimed as the Doctor made his way back over to them.

"Ah, Doctor," Mrs. Jones began, walking over to them.

"Where did they go?" the Doctor and the Hatter asked Leo urgently.

"Upstairs I think, why?"

"Doct..." Mrs. Jones began again, but the Doctor rushed past her, bumping her glass and spilling her drink all over her, the Hatter sent her an apologetic look on her way past, "I'm speaking to you!" she shouted after him.

Martha looked over her shoulder, running after the Time Lords, "Not now, mum!"

They dashed back to the lifts and quickly made their way up to Lazarus's office once again.

"Where are they?" Martha asked desperately, spinning around.

The Hatter opened her clutch bag that she had somehow managed to keep hold of and pulled out her sonic screwdriver, "I should have thought of this earlier," she muttered, "Fluctuating DNA gives off an energy signature. We might be able to pick it up..." she held it out at an arm's length, turning around slowly in a circle, making the beeping increase as she pointed it at the ceiling, "Found you Mr...whatever you've turned into".

"Where?" Martha frowned, "But this is the top floor...the roof!"

They quickly ran up to the roof, Lazarus and Tish were already standing up there, standing a little too close for all of there comforts.

"...always something to surprise you," Lazarus was saying to Tish, "'between the idea and the reality, between the motion and the act..."

"'Falls the shadow,'" the Doctor and the Hatter finished in unison, stepping forward.

Lazarus turned to see them standing there, "So the beautiful yet intelligent, Hatter and the mysterious Doctor know their Eliot. I'm impressed".

"Flattery won't work on us, Lazarus," the Hatter told him seriously.

"Martha, what are you doing here?" Tish frowned.

"Tish, get away from him," Martha warned her, eyeing Lazarus.

"What?" Tish glared at Martha, "Don't tell me what to do".

"I wouldn't have thought you had time for poetry, Lazarus," the Doctor remarked, stepping in front of the Hatter, "What with you being busy defying the laws of the nature and all".

"You're right, Doctor," Lazarus nodded, "One lifetime's been too short for me to do everything I'd like. How much more would I get done in two or three of four?"

"It doesn't work like that, Lazarus," the Hatter sighed, looking at him sadly, "Some people live more in 20 years than others do in 80. It's not the time that matters, it's the person. Think about it".

"But if the right person, what a gift that would be," Lazarus said.

"Or what a curse," the Doctor and the Hatter argued.

"Look at what you've done you yourself," the Hatter sighed, looking at him sadly.

"Who are you to judge me?" Lazarus glared at her.

"Not judgment, Lazarus," the Hatter shook her head, "Sadness".

"Over here, Tish," Martha called, motioned for her to come to her, thankfully she did.

"You have to spoil everything, don't you?" Tish huffed, "Every time I find someone nice, you have to go and find fault".

"Tish, he's a monster!" Martha shouted as she saw Lazarus collapse onto the ground and start to seize, convulsing.

"I know the age thing's a bit freaky, but it works for Catherine Zeta-Jones," Tish shrugged, not understanding why they were so concerned until something behind her growled, she slowly turned to see Lazarus had turned into a monster with a skeletal, scorpion-like back.

"RUN!" the Doctor shouted, grabbing the Hatter's hand as Lazarus reared up, ready to attack.

_**I hope you liked it, I'll try to update soon but there's bushfires in my area and there is a possibility that it could come towards the town that I live in, it's already half destroyed a town close by and killed a man, sadly. There's a link on my profile for the Hatter's dress. Anyway, tell me what you thought, please review.**_


	13. Chapter 13 Author note, please read

_**Author note, extremely important.**_

_**Don't worry, this isn't a note to say that I'm giving up because that's the last thing I'm going to do, I love writing the Doctor and the Hatter to much, I just thought I should warn you that I may not be able to update for the next week or so drew to the very sudden and tragic death of my baby nephew (13/9/1012-27/1/2013) thank you for taking the time to read this.**_


	14. Chapter 14 The Lazarus Experment part 2

_**The Lazarus Experiment part 2**_

The Doctor pulled the Hatter back inside, Martha and Tish following, the Doctor quickly sonic the door, sealing it while Martha ran over to the lift and pushed the button to try and bring it back up, "Are you okay?" she looked over to Tish.

"I was gonna snog him..." Tish breathed, sounding horrified.

"Humans," the Hatter shook her head fondly, smiling, she would have said more if she hadn't been cut off by Lazarus banging against the door, triggering the automatic security response throughout the building. Sirens started going off.

"Security breach. Security breach. Security breach".

"What's happening?" Martha asked, looking around, alarmed, as the lights suddenly went out.

"Uh, an intrusion," Tish tried to explain, still in shock after Lazarus, "It triggers a security lockdown. Kills most of the power. Stops the lifts. Seals the exits".

"He's breaking through that door," the Hatter realized, "And if we can't go down by lifts there's only one other way," they looked at her, "The stairs, come on!"

They ran down the stairs, the Hatter muttering, much the Doctor's amusement about her shoes and dress. They had only just reached the first flight when above them was a crash of the door being opened, Martha paused to look up, "He's inside!"

"Haven't got much time!" the Doctor shouted, pushing a door at the bottom of the stairs open, running into the reception hall were everyone was standing around, looking confused by what was going on, "Tish!" he spun back around to face her, "Is there another way out of here?"

"There's an exit in the corner," Tish pointed over to said corner, still shaken by everything, "But it'll be locked now".

The Doctor took his sonic out, tossing it to Martha, "Martha, setting 54. Hurry".

Martha nodded, running off with Tish following, as the Doctor jumped onto the platform in front of Lazarus's machine, the Hatter standing beside him.

"Listen to me!" the Doctor shouted, "You people are in serious danger! You need to get out of here right now!"

"Don't be ridiculous," a woman called from the crowed, rolling her eyes, "The biggest danger here is choking on an olive".

Suddenly glass shattered from above them and Lazarus appeared on the landing, jumping down into reception.

"I don't know about you but I don't think he's an olive," the Hatter remarked, pointing at Lazarus as the crowed began to scream, running towards the exits while Martha and Tish tried to open the doors.

"Mum, get back!" Leo shouted just before he was hit by a table that Lazarus had sent flying towards him, knocking him out.

"Leo!" Mrs. Jones cried, rushing over to him.

"Over here!" Martha shouted, stepping back as she managed to open the doors, "This way! Everyone downstairs now! Hurry!"

Lazarus started closing in on the woman who had spoken earlier, but the woman could only stand there, shocked, "No!" the Doctor and the Hatter shouted as they realised what Lazarus was about to do, "Get away from her!" but sadly it was too late, the woman screamed as Lazarus sucked her life energy from her, her remains following to the floor a moment later.

"Lazarus!" the Doctor shouted as Lazarus started moving towards Mrs. Jones and Leo, "Leave them alone!"

Martha ran to her mother, helping her to lift her brother back onto his feet as Lazarus roared.

The Hatter frantically looked around her for something to throw at Lazarus when she realised that she had always had it, quickly pulling her sonic out her clutch bag and chucked it at Lazarus, hitting him on his head, making him turn to look at the Hatter, "Well, at least it made him turn," she muttered to the Doctor when he gave her a look, pushing her behind him, "And not to mention saved Martha time to help her family".

"Yeah, couldn't you have done that without making him turn on you," the Doctor groaned, glancing over his shoulder.

"Like you wouldn't have done the same thing," the Hatter rolled her eyes at him, stepping off to the side so she could see what was happening.

"Martha," Mrs. Jones gasped as they pulled Leo up.

"C'mon, stay with me," Martha said to them, pulling Leo and her mother away before Lazarus could turn.

"What's the point if you can't control it?" the Doctor shouted, bring Lazarus's attention back to him, "The mutation's too strong. Killing those people won't help. You're a fool, a vain old man who thought he could defy nature. Only nature got her own back, didn't she? You're a joke, Lazarus! A footnote in the history of failure!"

He glanced at the Hatter, torn between leading Lazarus away and staying to keep her safe, he opened his mouth the Hatter gave him a look.

"Go," the Hatter flashed him a smile before she ducked away, disappearing off to the side.

The Doctor turned and ran out of the room, leading Lazarus away while the Hatter rushed over to Lazarus machine, pulling a few wires out and set to work sonic them.

...

"What's the Doctor and that women, the Hatter, doing?" Tish asked, watching as Martha examined Leo's head, standing just outside the reception room.

"There trying to buy us some time," Martha replied, focusing on her brother, "Let's not waste it. Leo, look at me, focus on me. Let me see your eyes," she looked at Mrs. Jones, clearly concerned, "He's got concussion. You'll need to help him downstairs," she rushed over to an ice bucket, putting a few ice cubes into a napkin and passing it to her mother who pressed it to Leo's head, "This'll keep the swelling down. Go! I'll be right behind you! Tish, move! We need to get out of here!"

She gently pushed her family towards the stairs before rushing back into the reception area and over to where the Hatter was half knelling, half lying down beside Lazarus machine, fiddling with some wires.

"What are you doing?" Martha frowned, quickly kneeling beside the Hatter, watching.

"Something I haven't done in the past a century," the Hatter replied, not looking up, "Are the doors still closed?"

"Yeah..." Martha started but was cut off by the Hatter.

"Use the Doctor sonic," she told her, glancing up from her work as Martha passed the screwdriver to her and fiddled with it before passing it back, "Just aim and press".

"But..." Martha frowned.

"Please Martha, there's lives counting on you," the Hatter said before smiling at her, "But no pressure".

"Yeah, thanks for that," Martha rolled her eyes, making the Hatter laugh before running back to the main entrance were the terrified guests were still trying desperately to open the main doors.

"We can't get out!" Tish cried as she caught sight of Martha running towards her, "We're trapped!"

"There must be an override switch," Martha said thoughtfully, looking around, "Where's the security desk? Tish!"

Tish blinked, pointing over to a booth in the corning of the room, "Right there".

Martha quickly ran over to the desk, sliding over the top, finding the control panel and flashing the sonic just how the Hatter had told her. A moment later the power restored and the doors opened, letting everyone escape.

…...

"I've got to go back," Martha said, standing outside with her family after everyone other than the Doctor and the Hatter had managed to escape.

"You can't!" Mrs Jones shouted, "You saw what that thing did. It'll kill you!"

"I don't care," Martha shook her head stubbornly, "I have to go".

"It's that Doctor, isn't it?" Mrs Jones glared, bitterness dripping off her voices, "That's what's happened to you. That's why you've changed".

"He was trying to buy us time, Martha," Tish tried, "Time for you to get out, too. Both of them were".

"I'm sorry, mum," Martha shook her head, "The Hatter's still in there, she wouldn't have left me. I'm not leaving them".

"Martha!" Mrs Jones shouted as Martha turned and ran back upstairs, into the building.

….

The Hatter was still fiddling with wires underneath a small panel inside Lazarus's machine, her sonic clutched in her mouth while she stripped a wire, just as Martha run over to her.

"No sign of the Doctor?" Martha asked her.

The Hatter made a muffled sounded, focusing on what she was doing.

"Sorry?" Martha frowned, confused, "What was that?"

The Hatter sighed, taking the sonic out of her mouth and standing up, "I just said that I haven't seen nor heard a thing from him. Very unusually for him. Or though, sometimes I wonder if him being quite should make me even more scared".

Before Martha could answer, above them was the sound of something exploding. Both women looked at each other before running off in the direction. They raced down a corridor, turning a corning just as the Doctor come around the other side, crashing into the Hatter while Martha skidded to a halt.

"What are you doing here?" the Doctor demanded, pulling the Hatter into a tight hug as soon as he realised who it was, closing his eyes as he buried his head into her neck.

"Nice to see you to, Doctor dear," the Hatter rolled her eyes, hugging him back, "Martha and I thought you might need this," she pulled back from him so Martha could show him his sonic, "We both know how much you love your sonic".

"You're alright?" the Doctor frowned, giving her a once over, "And how did you…?"

"I'm perfectly fine," the Hatter rolled her eyes again, "So is Mather I might add. We heard the explosion. Knew it was you. Reliving our school days, are we?

"I blasted Lazarus," the Doctor nodded.

"Did you kill him?" Martha asked, sounding hopeful.

There was a crash from around the corner and Lazarus emerged, un-harmed.

"More sort of annoyed him, I'd say," the Doctor said, grabbing the Hatter's hand and pulling her down the hall as Martha followed.

….

They run back to the reception room, "What do we do?" Martha asked, looking around, "We've just gone round in a cycle!"

Suddenly behind them, Lazarus burst into the room; the Hatter grabbed the Doctor's sleave and Martha's arm, pulling them over to Lazarus's machine, just managing to shut the door behind them.

"Are we hiding?" Martha breathed, crammed beside the Doctor who was crammed against the side of the wall, the Hatter forced to lean against the Doctor's chest who was trying very hard not to let the smell of her hair distracted him…not to mention how close she was to him.

"No, Martha, he knows we're here," the Hatter replied, "But like any inventor or artist he won't destroy this, not even to get to us. This is his masterpiece".

"But we're trapped!"

"No, just following the plan," the Hatter smiled, making Martha blink and the Doctor grin.

"Brilliant!" the Doctor grinned; he could always count on the Hatter being a step ahead of him, even in school.

"You mean you have a plan?" Martha asked, looking hopefully to the Hatter.

"What do you think I was doing earlier?" the Hatter asked her, "The first step of the plan was to get in here".

"Then what?"

"Wait until Lazarus turns his machine on," the Hatter answered but it didn't seem to make Martha any more comfortable, "Trust me, Martha. I know what I'm doing, I might be a little out of practise but it's just like riding a bike. You never really forget".

Martha sighed, shaking her head after a moment, "I still don't understand where that thing came from. Is it alien?"

"No, for once it's strictly human in origin," the Doctor said.

"Human? How can it be human?"

"Dormant genes in Lazarus's DNA," the Doctor explained, "The energy field in here must have reactivated them. Now it's becoming dominant".

"So it's a throwback," Martha nodded, understanding.

"Some option that evolution rejected for you millions of years ago," the Doctor nodded, going on with his explain in the hope of it distracting him from the Hatter, "But the potential is still there. Locked away in your genes, forgotten about until Lazarus unlocked it by mistake".

"It's like Pandora's box".

"Exactly," the Doctor said while the Hatter nodded when suddenly the capsule was filled with blue light.

"What's happening?" Martha gasped, looking around the capsule fearfully.

"Sounds like he's switched the machine on," the Doctor replied.

"Please tell me this is in your plan, Hatter," Martha said, looking at the Hatter.

"Yes, don't worry, Martha," the Hatter smiled, looking calm; "I've set the capsule to reflect energy rather than receive it".

"Will that kill him?" Martha asked.

"Doctor, be a dear and answer this one for me," the Hatter sighed, aiming her sonic at a piece of wire sticking out of the panel on the floor that no one had noticed as best she could in the limited room, "I need to get this timed perfectly".

"When he transforms, he's three times his size," the Doctor explained to Martha, "Cellular triplication, so he's spreading himself thin".

The blue light become unbearably bright, the Hatter pressed the sonic, coursing the light to shoot out of the capsule, away from them. The Hatter moved to open the door but the Doctor stopped her, somehow he managed to move around both women so he could step out first. The Hatter rolled her eyes, exchanging an amused look with Martha as they stepped out of the capsule.

"I thought we were gonna go through the blender for a moment," Martha breathed, holding onto her stomach.

"It really shouldn't take you that long to reverse the polarity," the Doctor raised his eyebrows at the Hatter, "Back in the day it would have taken you less than thirty seconds".

"Doctor, I suggested you don't anger the women wearing very pointy heeled shoes," the Hatter warned him, lifting the hem of her dress above her ankles to show him, "Or you might just find it hard to sit down comfortably for the next two weeks".

The Doctor quickly moved away from her, giving her a deer in the head lights look.

"He seems so…" Martha trailed off; bring the two Time Lords attentions over to were Lazarus's body was lying on the ground, naked, "Human…again. It's kind of pitiful".

"Elliot saw that, too," the Doctor remarked as the Hatter sighed sadly.

"'This is the way the world ends, not with a bang, but with a whimper,'" the Doctor and the Hatter quoted together, putting an arm around each other.

….

The Doctor, the Hatter, and Martha watched, standing outside as the Medical services carried Professor Lazarus's body away in a bag.

"She's here!" Tish shouted, running over to Martha, giving her a hug, "Oh, she's alright".

"Ah, Mrs Jones, we still haven't finished our chat," the Doctor smiled as Mrs Jones stormed over to them, the Hatter tried to stop him but it was too late, Mrs Jones slapped him across his face. The Hatter bit her lip to stop herself from laughing at the Doctor's face.

"Keep away from my daughter!" Mrs Jones shouted, glaring at him, that's when she turned on the Hatter, "And you!" the Hatter blinked, taking a step back, "I bet you're not even a real doctor! Stay away from my family!"

The Hatter blinked, shocked by Mrs Jones outburst towards her or though, it wasn't the first time she had been yelled out by a mother, epically when she was in her first body and looked sixty years older.

"Mum, what are you doing?" Martha demanded, staring at her mother in shock.

"It's fine, Martha," the Hatter tried to wave it off but Martha ignored her, the Hatter glanced at the Doctor to see him rubbing his cheek.

"All their mothers, every time," he muttered, rubbing his cheek, the Hatter gently moved his hand and covered his cheek. The Doctor leaned into her hand, fighting the urge to close his eyes.

"I know the feeling," the Hatter nodded, brushing her thumb gently across his cheek, the Doctor's eyes flicked shut, "I've lost count on how many times I was slapped by an angry mother and once an angry girlfriend. Now that was a hard thing to try and explain".

"He is dangerous!" Mrs Jones shouted, cutting the Doctor off from what he was going to say, "I've been told things".

"What are you talking about?" Martha frowned, shaking her head while the Hatter looked thoughtful, could that mean...

"Look around you!" Mrs Jones pleaded, cutting the Hatter's train of thought off, "Nothing but death and destruction!"

"This isn't their fault," Martha frowned, "They saved us, all of us!"

"It was Tish who invited everyone to this thing in the first place," Leo added his input, "I'd say, technically, it's her fault".

Tish elbowed him just as there was a crash from down the street. The Doctor and the Hatter glanced at each other before running off. Martha went to follow but Mrs Jones grabbed her arm, stopping her.

"Leave them," Mrs Jones begged but Martha shook her head, pulling her arm away and running after the Time Lords.

"Martha?" Tish called, moving forward to follow.

"Not you, too!" Mrs Jones cried.

Tish looked back to her mother and brother, giving them an apologetic look, "Sorry," before running after her sister.

….

Tish joined the Doctor, the Hatter, and Martha as they stood, looking at the ambulance that had crashed. The doors wide open at the back with the medics body's in the same state as Lazarus's other victims.

"Lazarus, back from the dead," the Doctor sighed, exchanging looks with the Hatter, "Should've known, really," he took his sonic out and started scanning for Lazarus like earlier.

"Where's he gone?" Martha questioned.

"This way," the Doctor said, getting a reading, "The church".

"Cathedral," Tish corrected, making Martha, the Doctor, and the Hatter look at her, "It's Southwark Cathedral. He told me".

The Doctor and the Hatter nodded and walked inside the Cathedral, walking slowly down the aisles, the Doctor still scanning with his sonic out in front of him.

"Do you think he's in here?" Martha asked them quietly.

"Where would you go for sanctuary?" the Doctor asked.

"To you," the Hatter remarked off handily but it still made the Doctor stop and look at her, "I've always felt safest when I'm with you," she shrugged, not noticing the look that passed the Doctor's face or the smile, "You, your TARDIS a library and a laboratory…oh, I can't forget about gardens, I like gardens. Doctor, doesn't your TARDIS have a garden?"

"Shouldn't we be looking for Lazarus?" Martha spoke up before the Doctor could answer.

"Right, sorry," the Hatter smiled apolitically, "I've been doing that a lot lately".

The Doctor gave her a fond smile as they walked behind the altar, spotting someone huddled in a red blanket on the floor. Lazarus.

"I came here before," Lazarus gasped as they came up behind him; the Hatter noticed that he was shivering, "A lifetime ago. I thought I was going to die then. In fact, I was _sure_ of it. I sat there, just a child…the sound of the planes and bombs outside".

"The Blitz," the Doctor and the Hatter said together.

"You've read of it," Lazarus stated.

"We were there," the Hatter corrected, glancing at the Doctor, "He was there twice".

"You're too young," Lazarus scoffed at them.

"So are you," the Doctor pointed out.

Lazarus started laughing but it soon turned into painful gasps for breath, "In the morning, the fires had died, and I was still alive. I swore I'd never face death like that again".

The Doctor walked around Lazarus, glancing up at the bell tower and over to the Hatter, "_I've got an idea. We can…_"

"_We can use some form of sound waves to stop the mutation_," the Hatter nodded, giving him a smile when he raised his eyebrows at her, "_Oh please, we've been friends for how long? I think I can tell when you get an idea and besides, it wasn't that hard to guess"._

"So defenceless," Lazarus continued, "I would arm myself, fight back, defeat it".

"That's what you were trying to do today," the Doctor said, looking back to Lazarus as he realized why he had fought so hard.

"That's what I _did_ today".

"And what about the innocent people you killed today?" the Hatter frowned, moving to stand beside the Doctor.

"They were nothing," Lazarus glared at her for even suggesting them, "I changed the course of history".

"Any of them might have done too," the Hatter argued, shaking her head at him, "Do you really think that history's only made with equations? Facing death, Lazarus, is part of being human. You can't change that. Not ever".

"No, Hatter," Lazarus spat at her, glaring daggers, "_Avoiding _death. That's being human. It's our strongest impulse, to cling to life with every fiber of being. I'm doing what everyone before me has tried to do. I've simply been more…successful…" he groaned, gasping for breath.

"Look at yourself!" the Doctor shouted, the Hatter put a hand on his arm to try and calm him down, "You're mutating! You've no control over it! You call that a success?"

"I call it progress," Lazarus gasped for breath, "I'm more now than I was. More than just an ordinary human".

"I don't believe that there's an ordinary human in existence," the Hatter shook her head.

"He's going to change again at any minute," Martha whispered to them, walking over to them.

"I know," the Doctor whispered back but the Hatter tightened her grip on his arm, "Right, sorry, Hatter. _We_ know. If we can get him up into the bell tower somehow, I've an idea that might work".

"Up there?" Martha asked, glancing above them.

"You're so sentimental, Doctor, Hatter," Lazarus continued, unaware of the conversation between them, "Maybe you are older than you look. Both of you".

"We're old enough to know that a longer life isn't always a better one," the Doctor told him, "In the end, you just get tired. Tired of the stuggle. Tired of losing everyone that matters to you. Tired of watching everything turn to dust," he squatted in front of Lazarus, "If you live long enough, Lazarus, the only certainty left is that you end up alone".

"_Not all the time_," the Hatter knelt beside the Doctor, giving him a small smile.

"That's the price worth paying," Lazarus said.

"Is it?" the Doctor raised his eyebrows.

"I will feed soon".

"We're not going to let you do that," the Hatter told him.

"You've not been able to stop me so far," Lazarus smirked.

The Hatter stood but before she could play bait, Martha bet her to it, "Leave them, Lazarus! There old and bitter. Thought you had a taste for fresher meat".

"Martha, don't!" the Hatter shouted at the same time that the Doctor shouted, "Martha, no!"

Lazarus didn't take any notices the Time Lords, he lunged for Martha, chasing her and Tish towards the stairs leading up to the bell tower. The Hatter went to chase after them but she tripped on her dress but before she landed face first, the Doctor caught her around her waist.

"Thanks for that," the Hatter muttered, glancing over her should to see the Doctor's face an inch away from her own, "Um, Doctor, I think we should help Martha".

The Doctor stared at her for a moment before blinking, shaking his head and clearing his throat, "Oh, right, yes…ar…"

"Maybe if you let go of around my waist, then we can get started on the plane," the Hatter suggested, struggling with the urge to blush.

The Doctor nodded, helping her get back to her feet before running into the middle of the cathedral.

"Doctor!" Martha shouted from somewhere close by, "Hatter! The tower!"

"Where are they?" the Doctor muttered, looking up, "Martha!"

Martha looked out of one of the little archway on the next floor, "Doctor! Hatter!"

"Martha, take him to the top!" the Hatter called to her, "The very top of the bell tower, do you understand?"

"Up to the top!" Martha nodded to show she understood, "Then what?"

But suddenly she disappeared from view, the Doctor and the Hatter exchanged looks as they could just make out two figures running. The Hatter looked around, grabbing the Doctor's hand when she spotted a pipe organ off to the side. They both ran over to it and sat on the bench, the Doctor pulling his sonic out, fiddling with the setting.

"Hypersonic sound waves," he muttered, casting the Hatter a grin, "Inspired".

"Always the tone of surprise," she smiled at him, jamming the sonic into the organ before they began pulling out all the stops they could reach on each side.

There was a loud noise from above them that was quickly followed by the sound of a women screaming.

"I hope it's a good acoustic in here," the Doctor said before he and the Hatter began playing a random tune.

"I forgot how much I used to enjoy playing the piano," the Hatter remarked, "Well, organ. Brings back our school days and how much time we used to spend in the music rooms," they continued to play but nothing seemed to be happening, "I think we need to turn this up to 11".

The Hatter reset the settings on the sonic, increasing the volume of the organ before going back to playing at a much, much louder level.

The volume become so loud that both Time Lords had their faces scrunched up but they continued to play until… there was a loud crash, the Doctor and the Hatter stopped playing and leaned over the railing to see Lazarus, back in his human form, lying on the floor of the cathedral.

"Martha?" the Doctor and the Hatter shouted but there was no reply.

"Martha Jones!" the Hatter shouted, "If you don't answer me right now…"

"I'm okay!" Martha called back, cutting the Hatter off, "We're both okay!"

The Hatter sighed in relief, collapsing back against the bench; the Doctor did the same as he put an arm around her, kissing her forehead and rested his chin on her head. The Doctor couldn't help but noticed that part of her bun had come out through out there adventure; he decided that he much preferred it out.

"We should be going down there," the Hatter muttered after a moment, the Doctor sighed and nodded reluctantly, he made sure to grab his sonic before they walked down to the base of the bell tower.

The Hatter stood back while the Doctor crouched beside Lazarus's body, closing his eyes as he age back into his 76 year old self. The Doctor stayed there for a moment until the Hatter put a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to her and gave her a small smile before standing and walking over to the stair case for Martha and Tish.

"I didn't know you could play?" Martha laughed as she joined them a moment later, giving them each a hug, Tish standing behind her.

"Oh, well," the Doctor pulled away, shrugging, "You know, if you hang around with Beethoven, you're bound to pick a few things up".

"Or it could be that you are very talented at music," the Hatter added, giving the Doctor a smile.

"Either way, you defiantly learnt how to play loud," Martha smiled.

"Sorry?" the Doctor leaned forward, acting as if he didn't hear her, earning a laugh from Martha and Tish while the Hatter hit his arm playfully, smiling.

….

The Doctor and the Hatter stood outside the TARDIS back at Martha's flat, Martha standing in front of them.

"Something else that just kind of escalated then," the Doctor remarked.

"I can see a pattern developing," Martha smiled, "You should take more care in the future. And the past, and whatever other time period you both find yourselves in".

"It's good fun, though, isn't it?" the Doctor grinned, the Hatter smiled at Martha having a good idea what he was up too.

"Yeah," Martha nodded, smiling herself.

"So…what d'you say, one more trip?" the Doctor asked.

"No," Martha shook her head, "Sorry".

The Doctor frowned, glancing at the Hatter for help but she shrugged, giving him a knowing look, "What do you mean? I thought you liked it".

"I do," Martha told him quickly, "But I can't go on like this. 'One more trip'. It's not fair".

"I completely agree, Miss Jones," the Hatter nodded, giving Martha a wink.

"What're you talking about?" the Doctor asked, looking at both women, confused.

"I don't want to be just a passenger anymore," Martha explained, glancing at the Hatter who nodded, telling her to continue, "Someone you take along for a treat. If that's how you still see me, well, I'd rather stay here".

"In other words, dear Doctor, either she comes with us as your companion or she stays here," the Hatter added, crossing her arms across her chest, "Got it?"

"Okay, then," the Doctor nodded, "If that's what you want".

"Right," Martha said, trying to shrug off how upset she really was, "But we've already said goodbye once today so it's really best if you just go," she started walking away, waiting for the TARDIS to disappear but when she didn't hear the wheezing sound she turned back, the Hatter was grinning at her while the Doctor stood beside her, "What is it?"

"What?" the Doctor asked, shrugging, "I said okay".

"Sorry?"

"Okay," the Doctor repented, nodding to the TARDIS.

Martha stared at him before looking at the Hatter who nodded, "Oh, thank you! Thank you!" she ran over to them and hugged them, laughing happily.

"Well, you were never really just a passenger," the Doctor grinned, pulling back as the Hatter laughed.

"I told you, Martha Jones," the Hatter smiled, "All you had to do was wait. Come on".

The Doctor held the door open while the women walked inside before following, closing the door behind him.

….

"And if I EVER see the pair of you again, I will do a lot worse than throw you into a supernova!" the Hatter shouted outside the TARDIS doors as she chucked her heels into a supernova they had just passed. Still muttering to herself about how they were death traps, she closed the doors only to find the Doctor standing right behind her, looking amused.

"Bad timing?" he asked, trying not to laugh.

"How long have you been standing there?" the Hatter asked, blushing bright red.

"Long enough to know that you have a very colourfully vocabulary when your angry".

The Hatter coughed, embarrassed at being caught, "Yes, well, I could say the same thing about you when you hit your hand last week with a hammer".

"Alright fine, we're both bad," the Doctor held his hands up, "But did you really have to throw them away?"

"Yes," the Hatter replied, "They're evil. Doctor, if I ever go to wear heels again, stop me. Unless I'm shorter then you because I hate being shorter then you. No heels, got me?"

"No heels," the Doctor repented, trying not to laugh again, "So, is what you said earlier true?"

"What did I say earlier? I say lots of things, Doctor, it's hard to keep track".

"About you feeling safest when you're with me?"

"Oh, I get it," the Hatter said, smiling, "You want me to boost your ego. Didn't you get enough complements today, sweetheart? Hmm?"

"No, I'm just interested," the Doctor shrugged.

"Well, yes, of course I feel safest when I'm with you," the Hatter said, "I always have. You just give off this…I don't know what to call it but it makes you feel like nothing bad can happen".

It was the Doctor's turn to blush, "Right," they we're silent for a moment until the Doctor took a step closer to her, "Hatter, you looked beautiful tonight".

The Hatter blinked and looked at him, surprised, "So you said earlier".

"I know," he shrugged, "But I didn't think you did".

"Doctor, is this your way of telling me not to argue with you about being so called pretty?"

"No," he shook his head, leaning closer and whispered, "This is…"

The Hatter didn't have time to think before he kissed her deeply on the mouth, cupping her face with one hand while the other snaked around her back, drawing her closer. Without really thinking about what she was doing, the Hatter closed her eyes and sank into his embrace.

_**Thank you so much for all of you support, the past few weeks have been really tough on my family and I. I hope the last part of this chapter made up for it. A big thank you to Grapejuice101, 11Dr. Luv, Pokeloon15, The Yoshinator, Glowfury, SeverusHermioneForever, and Guest, you guys are what made me want to start writing again. Tell me what you thought, please review**_


	15. Chapter 15 42 part 1

_**Part one, 42.**_

_Knock, knock, knock_.

Martha carefully balanced a tray with a tea pot, a mug, and some toast on the top with one hand as she knocked on the Hatter's bedroom door, waiting for a moment to receive a reply but not getting one. Sighing, Martha opened the door, careful not to drop anything or to open the door too loudly, she peeked inside.

The Hatter was lying on top of the covers on her bed with her eyes closed and her hands resting on her stomach, still dressed in the same cloths as the night before, looking as if she was fast asleep.

Martha shut the door behind her, placing the tray on one of the bedside tables that only had one pile of books on it while on the other side had three piles before she gently shook the Hatter's shoulder, "Wacky, wacky, Hatter, I brought you breakfast".

"I'm not asleep," the Hatter said without opening her eyes, making Martha jump slightly in surprise, "I've just been thinking".

"Thinking?" Martha asked, "You looked like you were asleep".

"Perhaps to someone who has never seen a Time Lord go into a deep trance it would appear so," the Hatter shrugged, opening her eyes and staring up to the celling, "I don't like to put myself into a trance very often. In the past Time Lords would put them self's into a deep trance and they would never wake up. Eventually they would either die, depending on how old they were and if they still had regenerations or they would…fade away. Gone without a trance".

"So, why did you put yourself into a trance if you knew that could happen?"

"Like I said," the Hatter sighed, glancing at Martha who noticed that there were dark circles under her eyes as if she hadn't slept, "I needed to think. Besides, I've been putting myself in and out of trances like that for centres and nothing bad has happened yet. Well, I was stuck in one for two weeks once but that was a once off thing".

Martha shook her head, "That still didn't answer my question".

"It's…complicated," the Hatter replied after a moment, looking back to the celling with a small frown, "And I'm not sure if I should really talk to you about it, I mean, I would hate to hurt your feelings".

"Sounds serious," Martha remarked, "Why would it hurt my feelings?"

"It's…" the Hatter paused for a moment, glancing at Martha, "It has something to do with the Doctor".

"Oh," Martha said, sounding surprised, "Why? Did the two of you have some sort of fight and you're worried about me taking sides?"

The Hatter laughed, shaking her head and propped herself up against her pillows, "If only. A fight with the Doctor I can handle, we've been friends for years and it's not like we've never fought. No, this is something so much bigger and…never mind".

"No, go on," Martha pushed, sitting on the side of the bed, "You were saying…"

"Martha, I can't," the Hatter sighed, shaking her head, "I'm sorry".

"Yes you can," Martha frowned, "Were friends, right?" the Hatter nodded, giving her a small smile, "So friends talk to each other about things that worry each other and if it helps I think the Doctor's going through the same thing".

"What do you mean?" the Hatter asked at once, frowning.

"When you didn't come into the kitchen like you usually do, I asked him if you were alright," Martha explained, "But as soon as I mentioned your name he dropped his cup of tea and started stuttering about something needing fixing in the console room and ran off. I thought you must be sick or something. Can Time Lords even get sick?"

The Hatter groaned and buried her head in her hands, "Brilliant. The Doctor can't even hear my name without leaving the room or breaking something. Can thing's get any worse than this?"

"Okay, now I know that something defiantly happened between you two," Martha said, giving the Hatter a stern look, "Tell me! I don't care what it's about I just have to know".

The Hatter looked up from her hands and sighed, "Fine but this is going against my better judgment," Martha nodded to show she understood, "Well, um…last night the Doctor…well, he kissed me".

Martha gasped, smiling and laughing happily, slightly surprised, "That's why you didn't want to tell me! You thought I'd be upset because of my crush on the Doctor! This is great".

"Great?" the Hatter blinked, "Great! How can you call this 'great?' Didn't you hear what I said? The Doctor kissed me and I kissed him back!"

"So?" Martha shook her head, still smiling.

"So, I have no idea what to do, Martha. I've never had this happen before".

"Come on," Martha waved it off; "You were married, weren't you? You dated".

"Actually I didn't," the Hatter replied, making Martha slowly lose her smile, "It was an arranged marriage, I didn't even know him before the day of the wedding and dating was never something that was encouraged in school. I was always too busy with my studies or with my friends when I eventually got them, that is. And yes, there were boys who were interested but I was fair too busy with trying to keep the Doctor from getting himself expelled to care".

"What about after you left Gallifrey?" Martha asked.

"Too busy living my childhood dream of travelling the Universe," she shrugged, "I may understand many things but I have never understood matters of my own heart".

"So, what are you going to do?" Martha asked after a moment.

"The way I see it, I have two choices," the Hatter replied, "Walk into that console room and force the Doctor to talk to me about last night or pretended it never happened"

"Yeah, but is that what you want?" Martha tried, "Maybe you should think about…dating each other".

"The Doctor and I dating?" the Hatter repented before laughing, "The Doctor doesn't like me like that, Martha".

"What about you?"

"Martha, we're friends," the Hatter told her seriously, "Nothing more, nothing less. Now why don't you go and find the Doctor while I get ready, somehow I don't think this dress would be a very good idea".

"Right," Martha nodded, standing, "See you soon I guess".

The Hatter nodded and watched she turned and walked towards the door, "Martha!" Martha looked over her shoulder, "Thanks for…thank you".

Martha smiled, "Anytime," before opening the door and walking out.

….

The TARDIS flew through the Time Vortex, going forward in time as they gained speed the whole time. The Doctor and Martha stood on the side of the console, the Doctor sonic Martha's phone.

"There we go!" the Doctor grinned, keeping an eye out for the Hatter, "Universal Roaming. Never have to worry about a signal again".

He chucked the phone back to Martha who caught it one handed, flipping it open to read 'Universal Roaming Activated' on the screen, "No way!" Martha cried delighted, both unaware that the Hatter had just entered the room, "But it's…too mad! You're telling me I can call anyone, anywhere in space and time on my mobile?"

"Just as long as you know the area code," the Hatter spoke up, leaning causally against the railing beside Martha. Martha shook her head, looking stunned while the Doctor froze, staring at the Hatter as if he wasn't quite sure what to do, "Mourning, Doctor, Martha, thanks for breakfast".

"Hatter," the Doctor mumbled before shaking his head, forcing a smile as he looked back to Martha, "Frequent Flyer's privilege," Martha gave him a smile, "Go on. Try it".

Martha grinned and began dialling but before she could finish, they were thrown to the floor, the Doctor and the Hatter following as the TARDIS jolted and the monitor started flashing red.

"Distress signal!" the Doctor and the Hatter shouted, pulling levers and pressing buttons, "Locking on!" the Doctor flicked a switch, "Might be a bit of…" he began before another jolt sent them flying all over the place for a moment until it stilled. The Doctor sat up, leaning against the console, "Turbulence. Sorry!"

Martha rolled her eyes as the Doctor ran to the door, the Hatter following close behind after helping Martha to stand, "Come on, ladies!" the Doctor grinned, waving them over, "Let's take a look!"

They stepped outside into some sort of engine room, glowing red with heat.

"Whoa!" the Doctor flinched, stepping out and feeling the heat hit him, "Now that is hot!"

"Whoa!" Martha nodded, tossing her jacket back into the TARDIS, "It's like a sauna in here!"

"I've been in worse heat," the Hatter shrugged, not bothered as she looked around her, Martha shook her head as she stared at the other women, trying to work out how she could stand to be in jeans and a trench coat, "Looks to me like a venting system working a little hard, trying to cool down," she frowned, "Is it just me or is it a little…quite?"

"Well!" the Doctor headed towards a heavy duty door, grinning, "If you can't stand the heat…" he opened the door, walking through to see a sign above the door to read 'Area 30,' "Well, that's better…"

He held the door open for The Hatter and Martha to walk through, looking around.

"Oi!" someone shouted, making them turn to see three people running towards them, two men, and a middle age women, "You three!"

"Get out of there!" the women shouted at them.

The Doctor and the Hatter glanced at each other, blinking as they quickly stepped back, Martha following.

"Seal the door!" one of the men, slightly young then the others, shouted as he pointed at the door behind them, "Now!" he ran past the Doctor and the Hatter, sealing the door with the help of another man.

"Who are you?" the women demanded, looking stressed, "What are you doing on my ship?"

"Are you the police?" the younger man asked, eyeing them.

"Why would we be the police?" the Doctor asked as the Hatter frowned.

"We picked up your distress signal," the Hatter explained.

"If this is a ship, why can't I hear any engines?" the Doctor questioned, bring up what the Hatter had pointed out before.

"It went dead four minutes ago," the women, clearly the captain, answered.

"So maybe we should stop chatting and get to engineering," an older man said before adding, "Captain".

"Secure closer active," a computer's voice announced over head.

"What?" the captain frowned, turning around as they heard a loud clang.

"This ship's gone mad," the older man shook his head

They turned and watched as a young women started running towards them, just managing to get through before the door slammed shut on her, "Who activated secure closure?" the women demoded as she ran, "I nearly got locked in to Area 27," she frowned as she noticed the tro, the last door shutting behind her, locking them inside Area 30, "Who are you?" she asked the tro.

The Doctor went to answer but Martha bet him to it, sounding distracted, "He's the Doctor, she's the Hatter, and I'm Martha," she began to walk passed them, "Hello".

The Doctor and the Hatter exchanged looks as they watched her go, the Hatter followed after her, looking slightly concerned.

"Impact projection: 42 minutes," the computer announced.

"We'll get out of this," the captain said to her crew, "I promise".

"Doctor…" Martha called as she and the Hatter stared outside the small window, looking horrified as their faces were lit up by the gold glow from outside.

"42 minutes 'til what?" the Doctor asked, looking at the crew.

"Doctor, you really have to see this!" the Hatter called, staring outside, looking horrified.

The Doctor ran over to her as he heard the tone in her voice, looking outside the window to see a burning, bright yellow sun coming closer and closer to the ship as they watched.

"42 minutes until we crash into the sun," the captain replied to the Doctors now obvious question.

The Doctor spun on his heel and ran back of to the captain, grabbing the women's arms, trying to stop himself form panicking but failing, "How many crew members on board?"

"Seven, including us," the captain replied as the Hatter turned away from the window, walking over to stand beside the Doctor.

"We transport cargo across the galaxy," the older man explained, "Everything's automated. We just keep the ship…"

The Doctor ran back over to the door they had come through earlier, shouting over his shoulder, "Call the others, I'll get you out!" he started to open the door, the crew and the Hatter tried to stop him.

"Doctor, not a good idea!" the Hatter called, moving forward but didn't hear her over the rest of the crew.

"What's he doing?" the younger man shouted.

"No!" the captain shouted at the same time, "Don't!"

The Doctor pulled the door open, only to be blasted back by the force of the heat from building up within the other room. The Doctor gave a yell as he fell. Martha and the Hatter ran over to him, helping him up as the Hatter quickly examined his face to make sure he hadn't been bunt. They both blushed when they realised how close they were, stepping back. The crew members quickly shut the door.

"But my ship's in there!" the Doctor shouted as the crew sealed the door.

"In the vent chamber?" the young man asked, staring at them, shocked.

"It's out lifeboat!" the Doctor yelled, the Hatter tried to calm him down.

"It's lava," the older man said.

The Doctor went to say something but the Hatter grabbed his hand, "Doctor, please calm down. The TARDIS can get through anything, you know that. Now, as for getting everyone out, we will. We just need to work together and you need to keep a cool head".

The Doctor smiled slightly and nodded, happy that after last night things seemed to be getting back to normal between them.

"The temperature's going mad in there!" the young women exclaimed as she read one of the gages, "Up 3,000 degrees in ten seconds, and still rising".

"Channelling the air," the young man said, sighing, "The closer we get to the sun, the hotter that room's gonna get".

"We're stuck here," Martha gasped; the Hatter put an arm around her shoulders for support.

"So?" the Doctor asked, looking around, "We fix the engines, we steer the ship away from the sun! Simple! Engineering down here, is it?" he turned, grabbing the Hatter's hand and dragged her down the open corridor, the crew and Martha following behind them.

"Impact in 40:26," the computer announced over head.

….

The Doctor and the Hatter stopped as they ran into the engine room to find it completely destroyed, "Blimey!" the Doctor exclaimed, looking around, "Do you always leave things in such a mess?"

"This reminded me of the Doctor's bedroom in school," the Hatter remarked, looking around, frowning, "Or though, his room had more clothes on the floor".

"Not really the time, Hatter," the Doctor muttered to her as the crew and Martha court up with them.

"Oh my God!" the captain cried, walking past the Time Lords and further into the room.

"What the hell happened?" the older man demanded, looking around at all of the wires, shattered glass, and springs that had been destroyed, thrown around the room.

"Oh, it's a wrecked," the younger man sighed, picking a piece up and chucking it back.

"Pretty efficiently too," the Doctor said, looking closer at the engine.

"Yes, someone defiantly knew what they were doing," the Hatter nodded, leaning closer to the engine and examining it while the Doctor did the same, "Hmm, they must have been angry to, someone's cut straight through this wire…Oh, this isn't going to well, is it?"

"Where's Korwin?" the captain frowned, looking around the room, "Has anyone heard from him or Ashton?"

"No," the older man shook his head.

"You mean someone did this on purpose?" Martha asked, watching the Doctor and the Hatter.

"Don't worry, Martha," the Hatter gave her a smile over her shoulder, "We'll sort it out…" before muttering to the Doctor, "Hopefully".

"Korwin?" the captain called into an intercom, hanging on the wall, "Ashton? Where are you?" no reply, "Korwin, can you answer?" still no answer, she turned back to look at the others, "Where the hell is he? He should be up here!"

The Doctor slipped his glasses on as he and the Hatter looked at a screen, the crew ran around as they tried to find Korwin and Ashton, "Oh!" the Doctor grinned, exchanging happy looks with the Hatter who was also smiling, "We're in the Torajji system".

The Hatter looked at Martha, smiling, "You're a long way from home, Martha Jones. Half a Universe away".

"Yeah," Martha sighed, "Feels it".

The Hatter gave her an understanding look.

"You're still using energy scoops for fusion?" the Doctor asked the captain, making the Hatter frown at the crew, "Hasn't that been outlawed yet?"

"In fact, I'm almost positive it has been," the Hatter said, eyeing the crew members as they cast guilty looks at each other.

"We're due to upgrade next docking," the captain told them dismissively, walking back over to her crew, "Scannell, engine report".

Scannell, the older man, walked over to the computer terminal the Doctor and the Hatter had been using, running a scan. Everyone watched, looking anxiously over his shoulder until the machine beeped a few times.

"No response," Scannell sighed, turning back to the engine.

"What?" the captain asked at once.

"Don't bother with that for the moment," the Hatter sighed, looking at the engine, "They're burnt out. The controls are also wrecked. I could try but I doubt I'll…" she trailed off, her eyes winding and she turned to the Doctor, "Of course! No more all-nighters for me, I start missing the obvious. Auxiliary engines!" the Doctor smacked himself, "Every craft has auxiliaries!"

"Oh, you are a pure genius!" the Doctor exclaimed, hugging her tightly, partly lifting her off the ground, "Brilliant!"

"One problem," the captain cut in, making the Doctor and the Hatter stop hugging and look at her, "We don't have access from here. The auxiliary's controls are in the front of the ship".

"Yeah, with 29 password sealed doors between us and them," Scannell added, sighing, "You'll never get there in time".

"Can't you override the doors?" Martha asked.

"No," Scannell shook his head, "Sealed closure means what it says. They're all deadlock sealed".

The Hatter leaned closer to the Doctor's ear, "No sonic screwdriver this time, don't you hate it when that happens?"

"Nothing's any use," Scannell remarked, "We've got no engines, no time, and no chance".

"Oh listen to you!" the Doctor shook his head at them, "Defeated before you've even started! Where's your Dunkirk spirit?" he looked to the caption, "Who's got the passwords?"

"They're randomly generated," the young man said, moving forward, "Reckon I know most of 'em. Sorry. Riley Vashti".

"Then what are you waiting for Riley Vashti, get on it," the Doctor ordered.

"Well, it's a two person job," Riley said, picking up a large magnetic clamp and a backpack off a rack, "One, it takes to answer the question, and the other to carry this," he put the backpack on while holding the clamp, "The oldest and cheapest security system around, eh captain?"

"Reliable and simple, just like you, eh Riley?" the captain said, smiling.

"Try and be helpful, get abused. Nice!"

"I'll help you," Martha said, taking the clamp from Riley, "Make myself useful".

"It's remotely controlled by the computer panel. That's why it needs two".

Martha nodded to show she understood, moving to follow as Riley began to walk away.

"Oi!" the Doctor called, making Martha turn to look at him, "Be careful".

"Yes, please don't try anything to heroic," the Hatter nodded, "I still have to teach you Gallifreyan".

The Doctor's head snapped to look at the Hatter, "What?"

The Hatter shrugged, "She's bright. She should be able to pick up the very basics at least even if she won't be able to say it she should be able to read it," she then added more to the surprised looking Martha, "And it's my way of repaying you for earlier but I should mention that it will take a very long time before you will understand any of it," the Hatter looked back to the Doctor, "Oh, come on Doctor, it's such a beautiful language, we can't let it be forgotten".

The Doctor stared at her, slowly coming out of the shook, she did have a point about it being forgotten.

Martha shook herself, smiling at the Time Lords, "Thanks, Hatter, You guys be careful to," before turning back and following after Riley.

"McDonnell?" a man's voice called through the comm., "It's Ashton".

The captain, McDonnell, ran over to the intercom, "Where are you? Is Korwin with you?"

"Get up to the med-center NOW!"

McDonnell ran out of the room, the Doctor and the Hatter running after her, passing Martha and Riley on their way.

"Impact in 34:31".

….

"Argh!" the sound of a man shouting in pain sounded down the hallway as the Doctor, the Hatter, and McDonnell ran towards the med-center, "Stop it!"

"Korwin!" a women's voice called, "Its Abie! Open your eyes; I need to take a look at you!"

"Korwin!" McDonnell cried as she ran into the med-center, the Doctor and the Hatter just behind her, "What happened? Is he okay?"

The Doctor and the Hatter ran to the end of the bed while McDonnell ran to the Korwin's side as he thrashed around, crying in pain with his eyes tightly shut, "Oh God! Help me! It's burning me!"

"How long's he been like this?" the Doctor asked, the Hatter rushed over to one of the cabinets and started searching for something that might help.

"Ashton just brought him in," the young doctor, Abie, answered.

The Doctor pulled his sonic out and flashed it at the struggling man as the Hatter returned to the side of the bed, giving up her search.

"What are you doing?" McDonnell demanded, panicking as Kowin cried out in pain again.

"Don't get too close," the Hatter warned, whatever was hurting Kowin was giving her an odd feeling, slightly like the Beast but less powerful but certainly angry.

"Don't be stupid that's my husband!" McDonnell shoved the Hatter's hand away.

"And he's just sabotaged our ship!" Ashton said.

"What?" McDonnell gasped.

"He went mad. He set the ship to secure closure, then he set the heat pulse to melt the controls".

"No way!" McDonnell shook her head in disbelief, "He wouldn't do that!"

"I saw it happen, Captain," Ashton replied.

"Korwin?" the Doctor asked, putting his sonic away, leaning over to talk but the Hatter pulled him back slightly, he gave her a questioning look but she shook her head, "Korwin, open your eyes for me a second".

"I can't!"

"Yes, you can," the Hatter tried, "Come on, you can do it".

"Don't make me look at you!" Kowin begged, thrashing around, "Please!"

The Doctor spotted a dart gun and grabbed it, "Alright, alright, alright. Just relax," he held it up for Abi to see, "Sedative?"

"Yes," she confirmed.

He leant forward and injected the sedative into Kowins neck, watching as he slowly stoped thrashing and calmed down.

"Maybe I should get some of that," the Hatter remarked, nodding to the Doctor, "Sometimes he gets a little carried away or though, knowing my luck it wouldn't work on Time Lords".

"Thanks Hatter," the Doctor shook his head, crossing his arms and leaning against the side of the bed, looking at the Hatter who quickly become serious, "Rising body temperature, unusual energy readings…" he pointed to the machine behind them that resembled an Earth MRI, "Stasis chamber. I do love a good stasis chamber".

The Hatter shook her head fondly, "Of course you do".

The Doctor smiled at her before turning to Abi, "Keep him sedated in there. Regulate the body temperature," Abie looked at him before doing as he said, "And just for fun, run a bio-scan and tissue profile on a metabolic detail".

"Just doing them now," Abi said, going back to her work.

The Doctor and the Hatter exchanged impressed looks, "Oh, you're good," the Doctor smiled.

"Does or has anyone presented with these symptoms before?" the Hatter asked, looking at the crew members.

"Not so far," Abi shook her head.

"Well, that's something," the Doctor and the Hatter nodded.

"Will someone tell me what is the matter with him?" McDonnell demanded.

"Some sort of infection. We'll know after the test results. Now, Allons-y, back downstairs. See about those engines. Go," Ashton went to leave but McDonnell remade standing beside her husbands bed, "Ay! Go!" she left, casting one last look at Kowin before doing so. The Doctor turned to Abi, "Call us if there's news!" he grabbed the Hatter's hand, running towards the doorway, "Any questions?"

"Yeah," Abi scoffed at them, "Who are you?"

"I'm the Doctor and she's the Hatter!" he replied, the Hatter giving a wave before running through the plastic door and down the hallway.

"Heat shields failing. At 25 percent in 32:50".

….

The Doctor and the Hatter ran around the engine room, trying to see what they could do before heading over to the intercom.

"Abi, how's Kowin doing?" the Doctor called into the comm., "Any results from the bio-scan?"

"He's under heavy sedation," Abi called back, the Hatter frowned slightly, "I'm trying to make sense of this data. Give me a couple of minutes and I'll let you know".

"Abi," the Hatter called, "Maybe you should give him another shot of sedative, whatever this is, it's strong. I'm not even sure if upping the douse will help but give it a try".

"Are you sure?" the other women asked, "It's already…"

"Just do it, please," the Hatter sighed, "I know it's well over being safe but I'm telling you that I've seen people like this before and every one of them managed to shack the sedative off".

"Alright".

The Doctor raised his eyebrows at the Hatter who shrugged before turning back to the intercom, "Martha? Riley? How're you doing?"

"Area 29, at the door to 28!" Martha replied over the comm.

The Doctor slipped his glasses on, looking at the map of the ship above the comm., "You've gotta move faster!"

"We're doing our best!"

"Find the next number in the sequence," Riley's voices came over, sounding slightly distant, "3-1-3, 3-3-1, 3-6-7…what?"

"You said the crew knew all the answers!" Martha shouted, the Doctor and the Hatter exchanged grins.

"The crews changed since we set the questions".

"You're joking…" Martha breathed, sounding scared.

The Doctor and the Hatter shouted in unison, "379!" they looked at each other and high fived, laughing as they remember back in school, having matches with the Master and the Rani and how they used to always win.

"What?" Martha asked.

"It's a sequence of happy primes," the Hatter explained into the comm., "3-7-9".

"Happy what?" Martha asked, sounding confused.

"Just entire it!" the Doctor said.

"Are you sure?" Riley asked them, sounding nerves, "We only get one chance!"

The Doctor and the Hatter looked at each other before saying in perfect unison, "Any number which reduces to one when you take the sum of the square of its digits and continue iterating until it yields one is a happy number. Anything else, isn't. A happy prime, a number that's both happy and prime…now type it in!"

The Doctor and the Hatter high fived each other again, earning a dirty look from McDonnell as she climbed down the ladder in to the engine room, "Talk about dumbing it down!" the Doctor laughed.

"What has the school system come to if they don't even teach recreational mathematics anymore?" the Hatter shook her head, laughing along with the Doctor.

On the other end of the intercom was the sound of the clamp locking in place on the door before unlocking it, following Martha's delighted shouts, "We're through!"

"Keep moving!" the Doctor told them, "Fast as you can," he took his glasses off, slipping them into his pocket, "And, Martha, be careful. There may be something else on board this ship".

"Any time you wanna unnerve me, feel free!" Martha replied.

"Will do, thanks," the Doctor switched the comm. off, going back to work with the Hatter.

"Impact in 30:50".

….

"We need a backup in case they don't reach the auxiliary engines in time," the Hatter sighed as they examined pieces of broken equipment while the crew watched them.

The Doctor nodded his agreement, rubbing the back of his head, "Come on! Think! Resources, what have we got?"

"Doctor?" Martha called over the intercom, "Hatter?"

"What is it now?" the Doctor asked, glancing over to the comm.

"Who had the most number ones, Elvis or the Beatles? That's pre-download".

"Elvis," the Doctor said before shaking his head, "No! The Beatles! No! Wait! Um…um…" he started hitting the back of his head, the Hatter frowned at him, shaking her head, "Argh! What was that remix? Um…I don't know! Hang on, Hatter!" he spun around and pointed at her, "Which one?"

"Me?" the Hatter blinked, "Why would I know?"

"You like music! One of your companions played the guitar!"

"I have no idea how you know that," she shook her head, "I don't know, I was never really a fan of music from the 60's, 70's".

"Why not?"

"I don't know, I just didn't," the Hatter shrugged

"Martha we don't know!" the Doctor called back into the comm., "We're a bit busy!"

"Fine," Martha replied, "I'll ask someone else!"

The Hatter went to apologizes to her but Martha clicked the comm. off.

"Now, where was I?" the Doctor asked, not really talking to anyone, "Here comes the sun? No, resources. So, the powers still working, the generator's going…"

"Hang on," the Hatter cut the Doctor off, "That's perfect. If we can harness the power from the generator then we can jumpstart the ship!"

"Exactly!" the Doctor shouted, grabbing the Hatter and hugging her, "Brilliant! At the very least, it'll buy us some more time".

"That…is brilliant," McDonnell admitted, blinking at the Doctor and the Hatter in shock.

"No, that's the Hatter," the Doctor grinned as the Hatter rolled her eyes at him, "See! Tiny glimmer of hope!"

"If it works," Scannell commented as the rest of the crew smiled at finely finding a way out.

"Oh, believe me," McDonnell said, looking at the man, "You're gonna make it work".

Scannell walked away, looking dejected, the Doctor, the Hatter, and Ashton turned to McDonnell in respect.

"That told him!" the Doctor grinned as the Hatter smiled.

"Impact in 29: 46".

….

"Doctor, Hatter," Abi called over the intercom as they helped the crew set to work on the engines, "These readings are starting to scare me".

"What d'you mean?" the Doctor asked, looking up from his work.

"Well….Kowin's body's changing!" Abi explained, "His whole biological makeup, its…it's impossible".

There was a loud bang that sounded over the intercom, the Doctor and the Hatter looked at each other, a moment later Abi was back, sounding extremely panicked, "This is med-canter. Urgent assistance requested. Urgent assistance!"

The Doctor and the Hatter exchanged worried looks before they started running out of the room.

"Stay here!" the Hatter shouted over her should, "Keep working, please!"

McDonnell ran after them, catching up with them in the hallway.

"Urgent assistance!" Abi shouted through the comms.

"Abi," the young women from earlier called into the comm., "They're on their way".

"What's happened to you?" they heard Abi asking someone over the comm., as the Doctor, the Hatter, and McDonnell continued to run.

"Burn with me," another voice rasped, Korwin, "Burn with me".

"Captain?" Scannell called after them, making them stop.

"We told you to stay in engineering!" the Doctor shouted at him, glaring, the Hatter sighed.

"I only take orders from one person round here," Scannell glared back.

"Oh, is he always this cheery?" the Doctor remarked to the Hatter.

"You do tend to bring out the best in people," the Hatter smiled.

"Burn with me," Korwin's voice came over the comm., the Doctor and the Hatter's smiles vanished and they started running towards the med-center again.

"K-korwin, you're sick…" Abi stuttered, sounding terrified.

"Burn. With. Me!"

Suddenly Abi screamed in pain and horror, pushing the group to run faster.

"Doctor, Hatter," Martha called, sounding scared, "What were those screams?"

"Concentrate on those doors!" the Doctor yelled, grabbing the Hatter's hand as they ran, "You've gotta keep moving forward!"

"Impact in 27:06".

….

They group reached the med-center, busting through the plastic sheeting but it was too late, the room was empty. Korwin's bed in the stasis chamber empty, Abi nowhere in sight.

"Korwin's gone…" McDonnell gasped, looking around, shaken.

"Oh my God," Scannell breathed, looking at a wall behind them. They turned to see the shape of a body burnt black into the wall. The Doctor and the Hatter moved towards it, "Tell me that's not Lerner…"

The Hatter touched the wall as the Doctor did the same, examining it, "Looks like endothermic vaporisation," the Hatter sighed sadly, "But I've never seen one this ferocious," she looked at the Doctor, "Have you?"

The Doctor shook his head, muttering, "Burn with me".

"That's what we heard Korwin say," Scannell remarked, over hearing him.

"What?" McDonnell asked, eyes wide, "D'you think…no way! Scannell, tell him! Korwin is not a killer! He can't vaporize people! He's human!"

The Hatter sighed when she noticed something on the floor, bending down to pick it up, "Korwins bio-scan results…" she trailed off as she read them, eyes going wide, the Doctor quickly walked over to her to see himself, "Internal temperature, 100 degrees in a human?"

"Body oxygen replaced by the hydrogen," the Doctor read, looking at McDonnell, "Your husband hasn't been infected, he's been overwhelmed!"

She snatched the results out of the Hatter's hands, "The test results are wrong!"

"But what is it though?" the Doctor frowned, looking at the Hatter, "Parasite?"

"Mutagenic virus?" the Hatter suggested, "Something that needs a host body".

The Doctor nodded, following her train of thought, "But how did it get inside him?"

"Stop talking like he's some kind of experiment!" McDonnell shouted at them, almost in hysterics.

The Doctor looked at her, "Where's the ship been? Have you made planet-fall recently? Docked with any other vessels? Any kind of external contact at all?"

"What is this?" McDonnell frowned at him, "An interrogation?"

"I'm sorry, Captain," the Hatter told her gently, "But we have to stop him before he kills anyone else".

"We're just…a cargo ship," McDonnell shook her head, turning away from the group, looking distraught. Scannell walked over to her and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"If you give her a minute…" Scannell started.

McDonnell shook her head, taking a few deep breaths, "I'm fine. I need to warn the crew," she walked past the Doctor and the Hatter and over to the intercom, "Everybody listen to me! Something has infected Korwin. We think…" she swallowed, "He killed Abi Lerner. None of you must go anywhere near him, is that clear?"

"Understood Captain," Ahston said before the comm. went silent.

"Impact in 24:51".

….

The Doctor and the Hatter continued to examine the bio-scan results while McDonnell sat down, Scannell close by.

"Is this infection permanent?" McDonnell asked, looking over to the Time Lords, "Can you cure him?"

"Dunno," the Doctor said while the Hatter didn't have the heart to.

"Don't lie to me, Doctor. Eleven years we've been married. We chose this ship together. He keeps me honest. So I don't want false hope".

The Doctor and the Hatter looked at each other for a moment before the Doctor turned back to McDonnell, "The parasite's too aggressive. Your husband gone. There's no way back. Sorry".

"Thank you," she nodded slowly.

"Are you…certain nothing happened to provoke this?" the Doctor asked, "Nobody's working on anything secret, 'cos it's vital that you tell us".

"I know every inch of this ship. I know every detail of my crew's lives. There is _nothing_".

"I'm sorry to ask you this," the Hatter said, "But why is this thing so interested in you?"

McDonnell sighed, shaking her head, "I wish I knew…"

"Doctor, Hatter," Martha called over the comm., "We're through to Area 17".

"Keep going," the Doctor said, "You've got to get to Area 1 and reboot those engines".

"Heat shield failing. At 20 percent".

_**So, the Doctor and the Hatter aren't together after that kiss, I never knew I could be so mean. I won't say much about the Family of Blood/Human Nature but Martha will help the Hatter to realise something at some point. I know I put up a poll about doing this episode but I couldn't just skip it, not after the last chapter, I also really wanted to show a different side to the Hatter in the next chapter. I'm sorry about the delay but I really need to update my Sherlock fic and I've started watching this new show called 'The Paradise 2012,' I love it. Plus, I'm sick. Also, I just wrote a story that it's like Time Crash only with the Hatter and another Hatter; it's called 'Past met Future'. Anyway, I hope you liked it, tell me what you thought, please review :)**_


	16. Chapter 16 42 part 2

_**42, part 2**_

The Doctor and the Hatter were running through the ships corridors with McDonnell and Scannell when an announcement came over the intercom, making them all stop.

"Airlock sealed. Jettison escape pod".

The group looked up, startled, the Doctor and the Hatter glanced at each other worrying before…

"Doctor, Hatter!" Martha screamed over the comm., the Hatter winced at how terrified she sounded, "Help!"

"No," the Hatter breathed, "You have got to be kidding me".

"Pod jettison initiated".

The two Time Lords eyes winded even further.

"Doctor, Hatter!" Martha cried again over the comm., "We're stuck in an escape pod off the Area 17 airlock," the Doctor and the Hatter turned and ran out of the med-center with McDonnell and Scannell following, "One of the crew's trying to jettison us! You've gotta help us!"

They ran into the engine room to find it empty.

"Why is this happening?" McDonnell asked as the Doctor and the Hatter frowned at the engine room that was now looking worse than how they first saw it.

"Stay here!" the Doctor took his glasses off, looking at McDonnell and Scannell, "I mean it this time!" he began to run off but stopped when he realised that the Hatter was following, "You too, Hatter".

"Doctor, she's my friend," the Hatter almost glared at him, "I will not stay here while one of my friends is in trouble, neither would you. Now stop treating me like a child and let me help you".

She gave him another look before marching past him and down the hallway, leaving the Doctor to stare after her before shaking his head, shouting over his shoulder as he ran after her to McDonnell and Scannell, "Jump start those engines!"

The Doctor and the Hatter ran down the hallway towards the escapes pods when the computer announced over head, "Jettison held".

But that didn't stop them.

And then another announcement came over making them both push themselves further than before, "Jettison reactivated".

They ran around the corner leading into Area 20.

"Jettison pod stabilized".

They continued running, not stopping for a moment.

"Jettison held. Escape pod stabilized".

At last they reached Area 18 and ran through the door to see a man standing in front of the keypad that controlled the escape pod, wearing a welding helmet so they couldn't see his face.

"That's enough!" the Doctor shouted, pushing the Hatter behind him as he eyed the man, "What do you want? Why this ship? Tell us!"

The man didn't answer; instead he punched the keypad with his fist, disabling the controls.

"Jettison activated," the computer announced.

The Hatter lunched forward but the Doctor pulled her back as sirens began going off, "Let me go, Doctor!"

He shook his head, tighten his grip on her and whispered to her, "No, I need you to look at the controls, see if you can fix it," the Hatter glanced at the controls and winced slightly at how messed up it looked but nodded, the Doctor let her go and turned to face the man, talking normally, "Come on. Let's see you," the man began moving toward him as the Hatter slipped around the side to the destroyed keypad, "We wanna know what you really are…"

The man moved towards the Doctor until they were almost nose-to-nose, the Hatter glanced up from the keypad to watch as the man slowly lifted his hand to his visor, beginning to open it, when he suddenly doubled over in pain and backed away. The Doctor froze as the man moved closer to the Hatter, making her flatten herself against the wall but the man didn't seem to notice. He straightened and walked past the Doctor, bumping his shoulder before walking out of the door.

"Airlock sealed," the computer announced.

The Doctor glanced at the Hatter who was muttering under her breath as she fiddled with a wire before he turned and ran over to the intercom, shouting over it, "McDonnell! Ashton's heading in you direction! He's been infected, just like Korwin!"

"Korwin's dead, Doctor," Scannell replied a moment later.

"Airlock decompression completed. Jettison pod".

"Oh no you don't!" the Hatter shouted, frantically trying to stop the pod but it was too late, even when she first saw the damage she knew that there wasn't any use but she still refused to give up.

The Doctor ran over to the airlock door, looking through the window to see Martha sitting in the pod, tapping on the glass on the pods small window, calling the Doctor's and the Hatter's name but not being heard. The Doctor gently took the Hatter's hand despite her protest and pulled her toward the window.

"Oh, Martha," the Hatter sighed sadly, "And Riley. I'm so sorry".

The Doctor shook his head, "We'll save them," he looked back to the window and shouted, "We'll save you!"

All they could do was watch as the pod slowly drifted away, Martha getting smaller and smaller as it went.

"Impact in 17:05".

The Doctor ran back to the comm., shouting, "Scannell! I need a spacesuit in Area 17, now!"

"What for?" Scannell called back.

"Just get down here!" both the Doctor and the Hatter shouted.

….

"I can't let you do this," Scannell told the Doctor as he finished putting his spacesuit on with the Hatter's help.

"Don't bother, Scannell," the Hatter sighed, "No matter what you or I say won't stop him," she looked at the Doctor fondly, "That's what makes him the Doctor".

The Doctor smiled slightly at her.

"You wanna open an airlock, in flight, on a ship spinning into the sun," Scannell said, staring at them as if he had never seen them before, "No one can survive that!"

"Oh, just you watch me," the Doctor replied, smirking.

"You open that airlock, its suicide," Scannell shook his head at them; "This close to the sun, the shields will barely protect you".

"Listen to me," the Hatter said before explaining, "If he can, and I know he can, breach the magnetic lock on the ship's exterior, it will re-magnetize the pod".

The Doctor nodded, looking at them both, "Now, while I'm out there, you have got to get the rest of those doors open. We need those auxiliary engines".

"Doctor, will you listen!" Scannell grabbed his arm, looking at them, "They're too far away, it's too late!"

"We're not gonna lose her," the Doctor told him, turning to the Hatter, taking one hand in his gloved one, "Promise me that you'll stay here and wait for me".

"I won't move an inch," the Hatter smiled, "Well, I'll try not to move an inch but I may have to bend the rules a little".

The Doctor smiled, he could always count on the Hatter to try and lighten the moment, "Just as long as you're here when I come back, I don't care what you do".

She nodded, gentling moving her hand on to his cheek, cupping it, "Please don't do anything stupid, whatever would I do without my Doctor?" he grinned broadly as she moved her hand and kissed his cheek, "Ready?"

"Yep," the Doctor nodded confidently but quickly stopped at the look the Hatter gave him, "No but I have to be".

"Just think of how happy Martha's going to be," the Hatter said, picking the helmet up and placing it over his head, locking it in place.

He nodded before walking over to the airlock door with the Hatter following. The door slid open and he stepped inside, giving the Hatter one last smile over his shoulder before the doors closed.

"Decompression, initiating. Impact in 12:55".

The Hatter took a deep breath before slowly releasing it, "Scannell, you need to get those doors open and start the engines," she glanced at the man, "Please. I'll stay here and keep an eye on the Doctor, trust me when I say I've had lots of practise".

Scannell eyed her for a moment before rushing out of the room.

"Come on, Doctor," the Hatter muttered, turning back to the widow, "Come on".

….

"Impact in 11:15. Heat shield failing. At 10 percent".

The Doctor pressed one of the buttons on the keypad beside the exterior door, opening it. He flinched back at the sudden heat and brightness coming off the sun, but quickly recovered, grabbing the frame and battling against the vacuum of space. He managed to climber out of the door and onto the outer hull of the ship.

He was almost swept away a few times before he managed to gain his gripe once more. He swung his hand out, trying to reach the column of buttons just out of reach. Hissing as he tried.

"Come on!" the Doctor shouted through gritted teeth, managing to push a button, "Go on my son!"

….

The Hatter winced as she heard the Doctor shouting in effort over the comm., closing her eyes and reached out with her mind to the Doctor's.

….

The Doctor stretched out his hand, breathing heavily, trying to reach a box that was beside the buttons.

"_Doctor, how are you doing?"_ the Hatter's voices called through his mind.

He stretched out further, trying desperately to grab the handle, _"I can't! I can't reach! I don't know how much longer I can last!"_

"_Don't give up, Doctor! You can do it! You never let me give up and now it's time I repay the favour. You're the strongest person I have ever met and I will not let you give up, not now, not ever. Come on! Reach!"_

The Doctor took a deep breath before reaching again for the box but this time he did it, knocking the cover off. He cried out in pain as he reached again, the Hatter quickly started whispering encouraging words to him, slowly he to swung his hand out and grabbed the lever, pulling it down. He struggled his way back into the airlock chamber, dropping to his knees as the last of his strength drained out of him. He sat there for a moment before frowning as he court sight of the sun.

"It's alive…" he frowned, "Its alive?" he repented, realizing, "It's alive!"

….

The Hatter eyes snapped open as she was suddenly sent out of the Doctor's mind with such a force that she collapsed, landing on her knees before she could stop herself. She blinked a few times, shaking her head as she tried to get rid of the headache that was starting to build up behind her eyes before she gasped, realizing what the Doctor had said about the sun.

"It's alive…" she repented, quickly getting back to her feet and rushing back to the window, shouting, "Doctor!"

"Impact in 8:57".

The Doctor pulled his helmet off as the airlock sealed close once again and the room was filled with air, looking as if he was in terrible pain.

"Airlock recompression completed".

The Hatter immediately opened the door, pulling the Doctor into her arms as he began to fall as gently as she could while he struggled and started gasping in pain. She pulled him into the corridor before both collapsing on the floor, the Doctor writhing in pain, clutching onto the Hatter as she pulled his head into her lap.

"Doctor!" Martha suddenly shouted, running over to them as soon as the escape pod arrived, Riley following, "Doctor!" she dropped to her knees beside the Hatter, "What's wrong with him?"

Martha reached out to touch him but he flinched away, opening his eyes to reveal glowing yellow from the sun burning through him, "Stay away from me!" he snarled as the Hatter tightened her grip on him as he struggled, trying to hold back tears of her own.

"It's alright, sweetheart," the Hatter murmured, bring her check beside his, almost flinching away at how hot it felt, "We'll fix this. I promise".

"What's happened?" McDonnell demanded, running towards them.

"It's your fault, Captain McDonnell!" the Doctor cried through the pain.

McDonnell stared at him before looking at Riley, "Riley! Get down to Area 10 and help Scannell with the doors. Go!"

"You mined that sun!" the Doctor shouted as Riley ran off, "Stripped its surface for cheap fuel!" the Hatter gasped, "You should have scanned for life!"

"I don't understand," McDonnell shook her head, looking frantic.

"Doctor, what are you talking about?" Martha frowned.

"For once in your life, Captain McDonnell, listen!" the Hatter snapped, glaring at the other women, looking furies as she began to piece together what they had done, "The sun is alive. Oh yes, it's a living organism! You scooped out its heart, used it for cheap fuel, and look what it's done," she looked down to the Doctor who was struggling in agony, "It's screaming".

"What do you mean?" McDonnell gasped, eyes widening in horror as she forced herself to look at the Hatter, "How can a sun be alive? Why are you saying that? How do you know?"

"Because I just so happened to be inside his mind when it entered him," the Hatter replied grimly, smoothing back the Doctor's hair as he continued to struggle, "It's now living inside him. Smart move really because if it wasn't…" she trailed off, looking slightly sickened by something.

"Oh my God…" McDonnell gasped.

"Humans!" the Doctor spat, clutching on to the Hatter like his lifeline, "You grab whatever's nearest and bleed it dry!" he screamed in agony, "You should have scanned!"

"It takes too long!" McDonnell tried to reason, the Hatter shot her another glare as the Doctor buried his head into her chest as if it might help the pain, "We'd be caught! Fusion scoops are illegal!"

"Hatter…!" the Doctor cried before breaking off with another cry of pain.

"I know, my sweetheart," the Hatter nodded, fighting back another wave of tears at seeing how much pain he was in before looking up to Martha, "We have to freeze him. Right now".

"What?" Martha demanded, rushing to the other side of the Doctor as the Hatter struggled to lift him.

"We have to get him to the stasis chamber," the Hatter said, struggling to pull the Doctor up right even with Martha's help, "We need to keep him below minus 200 and as soon as possible".

The Doctor screamed again, putting his arms around the Hatter's neck, burying his face in to her hair, knocking her hat askew as he pulled her back down with Martha.

"It'll use me to kill you if you don't!" he cried, "You need to hurry! The closer we get to the sun, the stronger…it gets! Med-center! Quickly! Quickly!"

"We're running out of time," the Hatter muttered, looking at McDonnell, "You either help us now or we can sit around here and wait. Your choice but if I was you, Captain, I would think very carefully before you answer me because I am not in a very good mood. You have never seen someone truly angry until you've seen the anger and fury of a Time Lord".

McDonnell rushed forward and helped Martha and the Hatter half drag; half carry the Doctor down the hallway.

"Impact in 7:30".

….

They managed to make their way to the med-center, scrambling through the plastic doors just as the Doctor screamed, falling to his knees, pulling the Hatter with him with his arms still around her neck. Martha stepped back and ran over to the stasis chamber, grabbing the instruction manual like the Hatter had told her just before they had arrived, already knowing that the Doctor would refuse to let her go.

"I can do it," Martha muttered to herself, flipping through the book.

"Yes, you can," the Hatter said, looking over to her, "Trust yourself".

"Hatter!" the Doctor shouted in agony, reaching out for her, "Where are you?"

"Right here, my dear, Doctor," the Hatter returned her attention back to the thrashing man in her arms, stroking the side of his cheek, "It's alright; everything's going to be alright. I'm not leaving you for anything, hmm? Not ever".

"Minus 200, yeah?" Martha asked, looking over her shoulder to the Hatter.

"That's the one," the Hatter nodded, gesturing for McDonnell to help her with the Doctor. The two women carefully lifted the Doctor; half dragged him over to the stasis bed before lying him down on it. The Hatter not letting go of him for a moment.

"You don't know how this equipment works!" McDonnell shook her head at them, "You'll kill him! Nobody can survive those temperatures!"

"Firstly, yes, I do know how to work this equipment," the Hatter replied, not looking away from the Doctor as she continued to smooth his hair back, "Secondly, he's not human, neither am I so when we say that he can survive, he can".

"Let me help you then," McDonnell moved towards Martha.

"You've done enough damage!" Martha spat at her.

"10 seconds, Martha," the Hatter told her, looking up from the Doctor as she continued to stroke his hair, "He can only take 10 seconds. No more!" he screamed, grabbing the Hatter's arms and almost pulling her on top of him, "It's alright, I'm here. Tell me what's wrong?"

The Doctor gurgled, only just managing to speak, "It's burning me up".

The Hatter took a deep, shacking breath as she forced herself once again not to cry, "I know, my dear. I wish I could stop it, take away all the pain".

"I can't control it," the Doctor groaned, "If you don't get rid of it…" his voice suddenly changed, becoming darker and taking on an edge, "I could kill you. I could kill you all…"

The Hatter blinked back tears, shaking her head, "No you couldn't. Not ever. You're strong then that and I know you can fight this. You have two heats that are made of gold and you never back down from a fight, even if it kills you. You're the sweetest, bravest, cleverest man I have ever met but more importantly…" she paused, closing her eyes as she started crying, unable to hold back any longer, "Your my best friend'.

Hearing what the Hatter said seemed to give the Doctor enough strength to gain control once more, screaming in pain as he whimpered like a small child, more terrified then the Hatter had seen him since the Time War, "I'm scared!" he cried, shriving with pain, "I'm so scared!"

"I know, my sweet, sweet, Doctor," the Hatter sobbed, stroking his cheek with a shacking hand, "Not long now and you'll be back to your jumping off the walls self. I promise".

"It's bloody killing me!" he shouted in agony, grabbing the Hatter's hand and clutching it tightly, "You have to get away before it makes me kill you! Hatter!"

"I'm not going anywhere," the Hatter told him sternly, forcing herself to stop crying, "Not until I know that you're better, scratch that, I'm not leaving you ever again, how about that, my sweetheart?"

"We've got you, Doctor!" Martha shouted, trying to reassure him as she looked at them, "You ready?"

"No!" the Doctor cried.

Martha glanced at the Hatter, who gave her a single forced nod before pushing a leaver, sending the chambers bed inside. The Hatter forced herself to step away, pulling her hands out of the Doctor's tight grip, despite his desperate attempts to cling to her. Martha pressed 200 into a keypad and started the process, looking upset. From within the chamber, the Doctor screamed as the temperature dropped. The Hatter turned away with her back to the chamber, overcome with sobbing.

"Heat shields failing," the computer announced, "At 5 percent".

….

The Hatter had finely forced herself to stop crying when the stasis chamber suddenly stopped at 70 percent, losing power. Inside the chamber the Doctor was covered in ice crystals, whimpering in pain.

"No!" the Hatter shouted, rushing over the controls for the chamber, "No! No! No! I won't let this happen!"

"No!" the Doctor cried from inside the chamber, "Hatter you can't stop it! Not yet!"

"This isn't my fault!" the Hatter shook her head, turning to the two human women, "The power has been cut off in engineering from what I can tell. No power, no stasis chamber".

"But who's down there?" Martha frowned.

The Hatter didn't reply, looking at McDonnell sadly.

The women nodded grimly, "Leave it to me," before rushing out of the room.

The Doctor started crying out in agony again, the Hatter forced herself to focus on the useless controls.

"Impact in 4:47," the computer announced.

….

The Hatter continued desperately working the controls even though she knew that it was useless while Martha stood beside her.

"Come on," the Hatter muttered, "Come on".

"Hatter, he's defrosting!" Martha gasped, looking inside the chamber to see all of the ice crystals gone as he cried out in pain.

"Yeah, that's helping," the Hatter sighed, running a hand through her hair before turning to Martha, grabbing her shoulders, "Martha, listen to me, you have to leave".

Martha stared at her, "What do you mean?"

"For once, please don't ask questions," the Hatter shook her head at her, "You need to get to the front and vent the engines! You need to get rid of all the sun particles!"

"I'm not leaving you two!" Martha shook her head stubbornly.

"Yeah, you are," the Hatter let go of her shoulders, "I'll stay here and keep an eye on the Doctor but if you really want to save him, then you'll do this!"

Martha glanced between the two Time Lords before nodding, "I'll be right back".

The Hatter smiled faintly as Martha ran out of the room, losing the smile as she turned back to the Doctor, "Maybe if I can trigger some memories…" she muttered to herself.

"Impact in 4:08".

….

"Impact in 2:17".

The Hatter spun around as she heard the Doctor fall out of the stasis chamber while she worked on the controls. She quickly rushed to his side; flinching back slightly as she felt his skin burning from the sun, but that didn't stop her from pulling him into her arms, resting her cooler hand on his cheek.

"Hush, my dear, Doctor," the Hatter breathed, "I'm here. Everything is going to be alright".

"Survival element protection. 0 percent," the computer warned.

"Doctor, focus on my voice," the Hatter pleaded, hoping that her plane would work, "I know it's hard, sweetheart, but I know you can do it," the Doctor continued to struggle and gasp in pain, eyes still tightly shut, but he still manage focus, "Do you…do you remember my gradation? Do you remember how my parents throw that over the top ball for me? Please tell me that you do".

The Hatter started crying, forcing herself to go on as the Doctor gave a very small but noticeable nod, "I want you to remember every detail of that night, the music, the food, the people. Remember how I complained about being forced to wear that frilly, pink, dress? How I kept tripping over myself while we were dancing and you laughed so hard that you were almost crying? How we snuck away from everyone and spent the night strolling around the edge of the forest, talking about where we would go when we left?"

The Doctor gave another cry of pain, the Hatter tried to continue but she couldn't stop herself from crying.

"Hatter!" the Doctor cried, "You need to leave…run! Please!"

"Not a chance," the Hatter shook her head, stroking his cheek, "I'm staying here even if it kills me because I would rather die beside you than live if I didn't have you in my life".

The Doctor cried out again.

"Martha!" the Hatter shouted, realising that the Doctor was losing the fight.

"Hatter!" Martha shouted back over the comm., "What's happening?"

"It's the Doctor!" the Hatter shouted, struggling to hold back a sob, "You need to hurry! He's losing, the stars to strong…"

She was cut off suddenly by the Doctor as he opened his eyes, glowing yellow light was reviled, the Hatter flinched away as ever instinct told her to run but she refused.

"Burn with me!" the Doctor shouted, changing like it did earlier, "Burn with me, Hatter, Martha!"

"Run, Martha!" the Hatter shouted, tightening her grip of the Doctor.

"Impact in 1:27".

The Doctor screamed, eyes glowing brightly as the Hatter struggled against the heat coming off him, crying her eyes out, "Come on, my Doctor. Not long now".

"Impact in 1:06".

The Doctor continued to scream but slowly the bright, glowing light disappeared from his eyes and the Hatter let out a sigh of relief, gently placing a kiss on his sweaty forehead as he started shacking, breathing heavily.

"Impact averted. Impact averted".

The Hatter grinned down at the Doctor, stilling crying, "Welcome back".

The Doctor struggled slightly but still managed to bring his hand to cup her face, "It is when you're here".

"Look who's feeling all better," the Hatter rolled her eyes, smiling.

Before he could reply, Martha came running down the corridor and almost launched herself on the two Time Lords, hugging them both tightly, making them start laughing.

….

The Doctor and the Hatter stood in Area 30, walking around the TARDIS, checking for damage while Riley and Scannell stared at it, trying to get their heads around what they were seeing.

"This is never your ship!" Scannell exclaimed, shaking his head as them.

"Compact!" the Doctor grinned, "Eh! And another good word, robust!" he patted the side of the TARDIS, "Barely a scorch mark on her".

"Reminds me of someone else in this room," the Hatter gave the Doctor a pointed look.

"We can't just leave them drifting with no fuel," Martha said, looking concerned at Scannell and Riley.

"We've sent out an official mayday," Riley told them, "The authorities will pick us up soon enough".

"Though how we explain what happened…" Scannell sighed, trailing off.

"Just tell them…" the Doctor and the Hatter exchanged looks, pushing the TARDIS door open, "That sun needs care and protection, just like any other living thing".

Scannell nodded, the Doctor held the door open for the Hatter as she stepped inside, following after her, Martha went to follow but Riley grabbed her arm, stopping her.

"So…uh, you're off then?" Riley asked, Martha nodded, "No chance I'll see you again?"

"Not really," Martha shook her head, smiling sadly, "It was nice…not dying with you," they laughed slightly, "I reckon you'll find someone worth believing in".

"I think I already did," Riley admitted.

There was a short pause before Martha launched herself at Riley, kissing him. Riley looked very surprised and pleased.

Martha pulled back, looking slightly embarrassed as she gave Riley an awkward smile, "Well done. Very _hot_".

Riley laughed as Martha turned and walked inside the TARDIS, closing the door behind her, walking up to the console, "So! Didn't need you in the end, did we?" she trailed off as she notice the Doctor, leaning his head against the Hatter's while she put an arm around him, "Sorry. How're you doing? Both of you?"

the Doctor forced a smile, stepping away from the Hatter, "Now! What do you say? Ice skating on the mineral lakes of Koorharn? Fancy that?"

Martha sighed, sounding very unenthusiastic, "Whatever you like".

The Hatter nudged the Doctor's side, gesturing to Martha.

"By the way," the Doctor cleared his throat, making Martha look at him, "You'll be needing this," he pulled out a TARDIS key on a long chain, the Hatter giving Martha a wink.

"Really?" Martha's eyes widened, slowly staring to smile.

"Frequent Flyer's Privilege," the Doctor said, slowly lowering the key in to his new companions out stretched hands, "And…thank you".

"Don't mention it," Martha shrugged it off.

"Oh no you don't, Martha Jones," the Hatter shook her head, "Be proud of yourself, I know I am and I don't get to say that nearly as much as I would like".

Martha blushed slightly; the Time Lords turned back to the console and began fiddling with it as Martha gave a gasp, "Oh no! Mum!"

The Doctor and the Hatter started laughing as Martha walked away, chatting to her mother. The Doctor pulled a lever and they set off on their next adventure.

_**I am so sorry for the long wait but I've been really sick with a really bad cold, hardly getting any sleep and stuff like that. I also started reading a new book serious and I had so many ideas for that, that I couldn't work on anything else. I'll try to update sooner, hope you liked it, please review :)**_


	17. Chapter 17 Human nature part 1

_**Human nature part 1**_

"_Get down!" the Doctor shouted as they burst through the TARDIS doors, pushing the Hatter onto the mental grating as a green beam narrowly missed them, hitting the console and coursing it to spark. They picked themselves up as the Doctor closed the doors before pulling the Hatter into a tight hug._

"_Can't breathe, Doctor," the Hatter pretended to gasp as he pulled away, rushing over to Martha and grabbed her shoulders once he was sure the Hatter was fine._

"_Did they see you?" the Doctor asked Martha urgently._

"_I don't know!" Martha almost shouted, casting the Hatter a panicked look._

"_Did they see you?" he demanded again._

"_I don't know," Martha shook her head, "I was too busy running!"_

"_Martha, it's really important, did they see your face?" the Hatter asked, looking very serious for once._

"_No," Martha said after a moment, "They couldn't have!"_

_The Doctor turned to the console, the Hatter stood on the other side, waiting, "Off we go!" he shouted, pulling a lever._

_Martha quickly joined them as something started beeping, both Time Lords looked at the monitor were Gallifreyan symbols were written across it._

"_No, no, no," the Hatter groaned, looking at the screen, "They're following us!"_

"_How can they do that, you've got a time machine?" Martha cried, watching the Doctor and the Hatter rushing around the console, looking frustrated._

"_Stolen technology," the Doctor replied, not looking up, "They've got a Time Agent's Vortex Manipulator. They can follow us wherever we go, right across the Universe…" he looked at the Hatter at the same time that she looked at him, "They're never going to stop"._

"_I always said that letting people other than Time Lords use time travel was a bad idea," the Hatter muttered, sighing._

_The Doctor nodded at her, running a hand through his hair nervously, "Unless…" he trailed off, the Hatter's eyes widened as she turned sickly pale, "I'll have to do it…"_

"_You can't," the Hatter breathed, looking sick as she rushed around the console to him, "What you're saying…Doctor, please there has to be another way"._

"_There isn't one," the Doctor shook his head, he put a hand on her cheek, "I'm so sorry, Hatter. There isn't anything we can do…"_

"_And what about me?" she frowned, "I won't let you send me away before you suggested it. I refuse to sit around, safe and sound while the people I care about are in danger"._

"_I guess it's a good thing I took this, then," the Doctor reached inside his pocket and withdrew a silver bracelet with a small star over the clasp. _

_The Hatter gasped, staring at it in complete shock, "How…but…" she shook her head, "That was in my laboratory, I was working on it the night before my laboratory was destroyed. How…?"_

"_I was about to be sent back to the front line," the Doctor said quickly, "And I couldn't stand the thought of not having part of you with me if…if something happened. I knew that you had spent months working on it; I saw how much effort you put into it so I grabbed it"._

"_It's not finished," the Hatter sighed, taking the bracelet and holding it up to the light, "My unfinished master piece," she joked weakly, "But I can finish it, I just need a few things that I can easily find around here," she suddenly hit his arm, "Never do that again, Doctor, otherwise I might have to hurt you"._

"_Promises, promises," he grinned cheekily at her before meeting Martha's eyes, losing the smile, "Martha, you trust me don't you?"_

"_Of course I do," Martha said without hesitation._

"'_Cos it all depends on you," he cast a look at the Hatter but shook his head, ducking under the console and grabbed something._

"_What does, what am I supposed to do?" Martha frowned, watching him, looking confused._

_The Doctor straightened and held a silver pocket watch with cycler symbols on the front up for Martha to see, "Take this watch, 'cos my life depends on it. The watch, Martha…the watch is…"_

His eye snapped open as the dream ended; he blinked a few times as he remembered that he was lying in bed, dressed in blue stripped pyjamas. Shacking the efforts of the dream away, he sat up and turned to face the Victorian styled room. A moment later there was a knock on the door before it opened.

"Come in," he called, rubbing his face tiredly.

Martha walked in, dressed in a Victorian maid's uniform and carrying a tray covered in breakfast food. She stopped, eyes widening slightly when she saw him still sitting in bed and went to walk back out, "Pardon me, Mr Smith, you're not dressed yet. I can come back later…"

"No, it's alright," Mr Smith said, standing and pulling his dresses gown on, "It's alright. Put it down," Martha walked over to a table in the middle of the room, placing the tray on top, keeping her eyes down cast the entire time as he watched her, "I was, um…" he paused, shaking his head, "Sorry, sorry. Sometimes I have these extraordinary dreams…"

"What about, sir?" Martha question, crossing the room and pulling the heavy drapes open.

"I dream I'm this…" he paused as he tried to think of the right word, "Adventure. This…daredevil, a madman. 'The Doctor,' I'm called. And last night I dreamt that you were there, as my…companion".

Martha walked back to the tray, shaking her head with a slight smile, "A teacher and a housemaid, sir? That's impossible".

"There was another woman," Mr Smith said after a moment with a slightly dreamy look on his face, "She called herself 'The Hatter,'" Martha's eye's snapped to his before quickly looking away, "Extraordinary women".

"How so, sir?" Martha asked.

Mr Smith looked thoughtful for a moment, "She always seems to be there. Always" he shook his head, "Sometimes she looks different and behaviours differently, almost as if she's a different women," he smiled, "But she's still the same. Very clever, always out spoken, and…caring".

"Does she travel with you, sir?"

"Sometimes," he frowned, "Sometimes she has others with her but not always," he shook his head, "Still, we were people from another world, though…"

"Well it can't be true because there's no such thing," Martha shook her head.

Mr Smith walked over to the fireplace and picked up a silver pocket watch with odd symbols on the front from the mantel, "This thing…" he frowned, looking at it, "The watch…" Martha looked over to him, slightly hopeful until he sighed, putting the watch back, "Ah, it's funny how dreams slip away," he looked at Martha, smiling, "But I do remember one thing, it all took place in the future. In the year of our Lord 2007".

"I can prove that wrong for you sir, here's the morning paper," Martha smiled back at him, picking up the paper beside her and holding it out to him, "It's Monday, November 10th, 1913, and you're completely human, sir. As human as they come".

"Mmm, that's me," Mr Smith smiled, taking the paper and reading it, "Completely human".

….

Martha sighed quietly under her breath as she scrubbed the main entrance floor with another maid, Jenny, who she had befriended shortly after she arrived. It was nice having a friend but it wasn't the same, she wished she could talk to someone about everything that had happened in the past two months but the Hatter had warned her against sending letters. The Hatter had said that there was no way of being sure that the letters wouldn't be read by someone other than the intended receiver. She had also warned that people could start asking as to whom Martha was writing letters to and that was the last thing they needed. As for were the Hatter was, Martha didn't have a clue. She had said that she would stay in London and find herself a job there while she waited for the right time, she hadn't explained much about what would happen over the course of three months but she had given some warnings about what to do should the Family turn up. But she had made Martha promise to look after the Doctor and keep him out of trouble before she wished them good luck, walking off down a country road, towards a train station.

Martha sighed again before smiling as Mr Smith walked past, muttering under his breath, "Morning, sir," she greeted him.

"Yes, hi," he nodded, looking distracted as he walked past, holding something in his hand. Martha looked closer and smiled slightly when she realised he was holding the Hatter's extremely long scarf. The Hatter had left it behind for safe keeping and who better than John Smith.

"Head in the clouds, that one," Jenny shook her head as they watched Mr Smith disappear upstairs, "Don't know why you're so sweet on him".

"He's just kind to me, that's all," Martha smiled slightly as she went back to her work, "Not everyone's that considerate, what with me being…" she gestured to her skin colour.

Jenny gave her a smile, "A Londoner?"

"Exactly," Martha laughed, grinning, "Good old London Town!"

Two senior boys, Hutchinson and Baines walked past, pausing to look at Martha and Jenny to laugh.

"Ah, now then, you two," Baines said authoritatively, "You're not paid to have fun, are you? Put a little backbone in it".

"Yes, sir," Jenny nodded meekly, looking down, "Sorry, sir".

"You there," Hutchinson looked at Martha, "What's your name again?"

"Martha, sir," Martha replied, looking up, "Martha Jones".

"Tell me then, Jones, with hands like those, how can you tell when something's clean?"

The Boys started laughing.

"And tell me, boys," someone called from the door way, making everyone to look at them, "What are your names?"

Martha had to do a double take when she realised who was talking. The Hatter was dressed in a purple, Victorian dress with white lace on the cuffs and on the high neckline. Her red hair was tied back in a French braid with a black, cloche hat sat on an angle, held in place with a hatpin. Her hands were covered in black, leather gloves and she held a small suitcase in one hand. Martha noticed that she had a sliver bracelet on her left wrist, just visible above the glove.

Baines and Hutchinson glanced at each other, relishing that this wasn't a women to mess with but of course, being them, they ignored that feeling.

"And you are?" Hutchinson raised his eyebrows at the Hatter.

"I believe that I asked first," the Hatter said coldly, "Names or I will speak to the headmaster about your disrespect towards a teacher along with your appalling behaviour towards these fine women," she gave Martha and Jenny a wink as the boys glanced at each other again.

"You're going to be a teacher?" Baines asked, "A women?"

The Hatter shot him a look, "Yes, I do believe that I am. Did the Headmaster not mention that there was to be a new science teacher arriving?" before anyone could answer, she shook her head, "Never mind. Ladies, would you be so kind to give me these boy's names?"

"Baines and Hutchinson," Martha answered, quickly adding, "Ma'am".

The Hatter nodded, giving both women a small smile before turning to the boy's, "Now, Hutchinson and Baines, you will first apologies to these hard working ladies and then you will apologies to me for questioning a teacher and implying that a women cannot be a teacher just as any man could. Understand?"

The boy's nodded meekly, giving Martha and Jenny a reluctantly apology before apologies to the Hatter.

"Much better, boys," the Hatter nodded, "But don't think that this will get you out of punishment. I will speak to the Headmaster and I will be writing to your parents, I will also personally make sure that you will be given a week worth of dentations. Now, I'm sure you have class, off you go".

Baines and Hutchinson quickly turned and hurried away. The Hatter sighed slightly before turning to Martha and Jenny.

"Martha Jones was it?" the Hatter asked, giving Martha a wink to show she was acting.

"Yes, ma'am," Martha nodded, giving her a small smile.

"I was wondering if you could be so kind to help me find my room," the Hatter pretended to sigh, "I would also be very grateful for help to unpack".

"Of course, ma'am," Martha nodded, quickly standing, "Follow me".

She sent Jenny an apologetic look before leading the Hatter upstairs. They walked through the corridor for a moment before stopping at a door with a freshly painted plaque that read: 'Miss Ariana Hatter'. Martha frowned at it and looked at the Hatter.

"Ariana was my nickname when I was young," the Hatter shrugged, opening the door and stepping in. Dark wood panelling, a Victorian style fireplace, large windows facing the front of the school, basically a typically Victorian room, "Very nice," the Hatter remarked, walking over to the window and looking out, "Much better than my last one, anyway. You would think a privet school would make sure that there teachers had a fireplace at the very least. Still, I didn't really need one but I suppose it's the thought that counts".

"Was that what you were doing in London?" Martha asked, following the Hatter over to the window, "Working in a privet school?"

"Yep," the Hatter nodded, sighing slightly, "And you have know idea how painfully boring it was. The most exciting thing that happened in the two months that I was there was one of the parents ending up having an argument with a teacher about something. Still, it was better than nothing," she shook her head and hugged Martha, "And how have you been, Martha Jones?"

"You know," Martha shrugged, stepping back, "Same old".

The Hatter gave her a sad look, "I did warn you that the next three months would be hard. I'm sorry for not coming earlier but I needed to make sure that everything would work," she held up her wrist, showing the bracelet, "Let's hope I was right".

"What does that thing do exactly?" Martha frowned at it.

"It works like a chameleon Arch," the Hatter explained, turning away from the window and walking over to the bed were Martha had placed her suitcase, popping it open and started taking things out, "Only it makes others think that I'm human but only if I'm carful. I've spent the past two month's practises being human; I forgot how hard it is. Anyway, the bracelet should fool the Family into believing that I smell human but without the memory loss, speaking of which, how is 'Mr Smith?'"

Martha groaned, "He's so…so…"

"Human?" the Hatter finished with an amused look.

"Yes! He's always walking round, muttering to himself about something. Every night he has these dreams about the Doctor, like you said he would. He's just so different. He's all proper and quiet".

"Sounds scary," the Hatter smiled slightly before giving a small sigh, "But Mr Smith and the Doctor are two very different people. You need to remember that, Martha, otherwise things will be a lot harder for you. What else?"

"He's…" Martha trailed off, eyeing the Hatter.

"What is it, Martha?" the Hatter frowned.

"He's been getting pretty close to this nurse," Martha said quickly as if she was worried that it would the Hatter's feelings.

The Hatter gave Martha an odd look, "And why should that matter? Unless you think she's a part of the Family".

"No," she shook her head quickly, "It's just…don't you think we should, I don't know, try and brake them up?"

"And why would we do that?" the Hatter frowned, looking confused, "If this nurse is coursing no harm to Mr Smith then why would we force them apart? I mean, yes, I would much rather things stay simple and adding another person will change that if they do get involved but I refuse to get in there way if this women makes Mr Smith happy".

Martha stared at her, "Are you telling me that if the Doctor was with another woman you would be fine?"

"Mr Smith is not the Doctor, Martha," the Hatter corrected, shrugging, "And why wouldn't I be fine if the Doctor was with a woman?"

"Because you're in love with him!"

The Hatter dropped the dress she was about to hang up, turning a light shade of pink as she turned to stare at Martha in complete shock, "Me? You think that I'm in love with…" she started laughing, "Oh Martha, whatever gave you that idea?"

"I wasn't sure," Martha admitted, "Not until the Doctor was possessed by that sun. I saw the way you looked at him, how terrified you were, and it made me think. I thought about how the two of you act around each other and it hit me. You're in love with him and he loves you".

"Martha," the Hatter sighed wearily, "The Doctor doesn't think about me like that".

"So you do love him," Martha smiled, pointing at the Hatter, "I knew it!"

"I didn't say that!"

"You basically did," she laughed happily.

The Hatter blinked a few times, staring off in to space, "Oh Rassilon," she gasped, "I'm in love with the Doctor. As in the Doctor. The man who has been my best friend for nine centuries!"

"So," Martha began after a moment, the Hatter was still staring off in to space but her eyes snapped to Martha when she spoke, "Does this mean…"

"This means nothing," the Hatter shook her head, cutting Martha off, "Yes, I love him but that changes nothing. Martha, if I was to tell him and he didn't feel the same, it would destroy everything. When the Doctor's back, neither of us will breathe a word to him about this, understood?" Martha sighed and nodded, "Thank you. Now this nurse, if she's not hurting anyone than I can't see any reason for her not to be close to Mr Smith".

Martha went to open her mouth but she was cut off by someone knocking on the door before it opened and Jenny's head pocked around it.

"Sorry to interrupt, ma'am," Jenny nodded to the Hatter before looking at Martha when the Hatter gave her a smile to show she didn't mind, "But it's Mr Smith, Martha, he's taken a spill down the stairs. The Matron's taking care of him".

"Is he alright?" the Hatter asked, looking concerned.

"I think he hit his head, ma'am," Jenny replied.

"Oh dear," the Hatter sighed, looking at Martha, "Led the way, Martha".

"Thanks, Jenny," Martha nodded to her friend, quickly passing her in the doorway, leading the Hatter down the hall.

….

"Stop it!" a woman could be heard chastising someone as Martha and the Hatter approached Mr Smith's door, "I get boys causing less fuss than this".

"Because it hurts!" Mr Smith's sulked, making the Hatter bit her lip to stop herself from laughing.

"Is he alright?" Martha asked, busting into the room, forgetting to knock as the Hatter trailed behind her.

"Excuse me, Martha," the Matron gave her a disproving look, standing behind Mr Smith as she tended to him, "It's hardly good form to enter a master's study without knocking".

Martha gave the Hatter a look that clearly said '_see what I've been going through_?' "Sorry, right, yeah," Martha said, looking annoyed as she rushed back to the door and knocked, rushing back in to the room, looking at Mr Smith, "They said you fell down stairs, sir?"

"No, it was just a…tumble, that's all," Mr Smith mumbled, distractedly as he caught sight of the Hatter standing behind Martha. His eyes glassed over as he stared at her, looking as if he had taken another fall down stairs.

"My I look?" the Hatter asked, stepping forward with a warm smile, gesturing to Mr Smith, "My father was a doctor and my mother was a nurse, I was always helping my father when he worked. I suppose that's where I got my passion for sciences".

"There's no need Miss…?" the Matron trailed off.

"Oh, my apologies," the Hatter smiled, Martha had to hid a impressed look at how well she was acting, "My names Ariana Hatter but I prefer to go by my last name".

"What a beautiful name," Mr Smith smiled shyly at her, "Ariana means 'beautiful melody'".

"Yes, I do believe it does," the Hatter smiled again, "A very close and dear friend of mine has always commented on my singing voice. Truth be told, I don't think that I'm very good but my friend refuses to hear it," Mr Smith smiled, looking less shy this time, "Would it be alright if I look, Mr Smith? I promise that I won't hurt you and I always keep my promise".

He blushed slightly when he realised that she had heard him complaining but nodded. The Hatter walked over to him, the Matron shot her an annoyed look but moved out of her way so she could examine Mr Smith's head. Martha watched from the side, hiding her smile behind her hand.

"You are very lucky, Mr Smith," the Hatter remarked lightly, carefully moving his hair away, unknowing sending a shriving up Mr Smith's spine, "You didn't even brake the skin, still, you'll have a nasty bump for a few days, perhaps some ice or something cold would help to bring it down? It might also relive the pain".

"I'll see to it," Martha nodded, adding, "Ma'am," before hurrying out of the room.

"There's really no need for any fuss," Mr Smith shook his head, or he would have if the Hatter hadn't stopped him with her hand.

"We wouldn't want you to get dizzy," she smiled, glancing at Matron, "Have you checked for concussion?"

"Yes," the other women replied stiffly, "But I dare say that I would know a lot more than you".

"I'm sure you would, Matron," the Hatter nodded, "Please humour me, just for a moment at least," Martha rushed back inside the room, handing a pieces of meat covered in cloth to the Hatter who raised her eyebrows at Martha.

"I couldn't find anything colder, ma'am," Martha replied, slightly breathless from running all the way back, "Sorry".

"It's better than nothing," the Hatter shrugged, placing the cool stake on the bump, making Mr Smith wince, "Sorry, Mr Smith, I should have warned you. Be a dear and hold that in place for me, please".

Mr Smith did as she asked without too much thought, "Thank you, Miss Hatter, it already feels better".

"Please call me Hatter," the Hatter said, "And I hope you will allow me to call you John?"

"Oh, yes, of course," John nodded, staring at the Hatter with an odd look.

Martha cleared her throat, "I'll just…" she moved over to a table, coursing John to snap his eyes away from the Hatter, looking embarrassed, "Tidy your things".

"Forgive my bad manners, Miss…Hatter," John corrected himself, blushing as he gestured towards a chair beside his, "Please take a seat," the Hatter smiled and sat in the chair he gestured to, smoothing her skirt down, "I was just telling Nurse Redfern…Matron, about my dreams. They are quite remarkable tales".

"It sounds fascinating," the Hatter commented, looking interested, glancing at Martha, "I would love to hear more".

John couldn't help but grin, he certainty wasn't expecting someone like Miss Hatter to listen to him about his stories, "I keep imagining that I'm someone else, and that I'm hiding…"

"Hiding?" the Matron cut in, taking a seat herself, "In what way?"

"Um…" John looked slightly surprised that the Matron was still there, "Er…almost every night…" he laughed, "This is going to sound silly…"

"The sillier the better," the Hatter assured him, smiling, "Please go on".

John smiled, looking slightly relived, "I dream, quite often, that I have two hearts".

"Well then," the Matron cut in again, getting out of her chair and pulling her stethoscope out of her bag, smiling as she placed it on John's chest and listened. Martha looked at the Hatter, expecting her to look worried, instead she was sitting calmly, watching everything with a casually interested look, "I can confirm the diagnosis, just one heart, singular".

The Hatter glanced over her shoulder to see Martha look of disappointment before quickly turning back to John. The Hatter knew that there wouldn't be another heart beat but she had to admit that she too felt slightly disappointed at the news.

John laughed at himself for being so silly, "I have written down some of these dreams in the form of fiction..." he glanced slightly embarrassed at the Hatter, "Um…not that it would be of any interest…"

"No need to feel embarrassed, John," the Hatter smiled warmly at him, hiding a smile when she noticed the way he blushed at the use of his first name, "I happen to enjoy reading a good fiction story myself. In fact, one of my favourite books is 'The Time Machine by H. G. Wells'. Perhaps you have heard of it?"

Johns eyes lit up in a very Doctor like fashion, "That's one my favourite books too, Miss Hatter".

"Life is full of surprises, is it not?" the Hatter commented, catching a curies look sent out her by Martha. 'The Time Machine' had been the Doctor's favourite book when he had been in school and he had forced the Hatter to read it with him, ever senses then it had been one of their all-time favourite human books. Other than 'Alice in wonder land'.

The Matron pinched herself to stop herself from glaring openly at the Hatter while Martha hid her smile. John continued to stair that the Hatter in amazement before standing and moving towards his desk, "Well…I've never shown it to anyone before," he picked up a brown leather-bound book and passed it to the Hatter.

"'Journal of Impossible Things,'" the Hatter read the first page, looking delighted, "Matron, you must see this for yourself. Brilliant".

The Matron stood and walked over to look at the book as John turned a few pages. A picture of the TARDIS console was sketched and written about in ink, the monitor screen section on another page, gas-masked victims that the Hatter smiled faintly as she remember the Doctor telling her about that early adventure with Rose.

"Just look at these creatures!" Matron gasped, looking amazed as John turned another page to show a Dalek, the Hatter paled slightly and shrived but no one noticed, "Such imagination".

"Mmm," John nodded, glancing at the Hatter and receiving a smile that made him blush, "It's become quite a hobby".

"I wish I could draw as well as you, John," the Hatter remarked, looking at a page with a drawing of Moxx of Balhoon, two Automatons, the clockwork robots that made her smile, remembering one of their first adventures after the Time War, "I had a friend who tried to teach me but I was useless at it. I can draw blueprints and plans but pictures…" she shook her head with a sigh, not noticing the confused look she received at the word 'blueprints'.

"It's wonderful," the Matron smiled, turning a page and laughing, "And quite the eye for the pretty girl".

The Hatter glanced at the middle of the page and blinked a few times at seeing a sketch of Rose Tyler there, "Yes, she is rather pretty," she gave John a slightly teasing look.

He turned bright red and started mumbling, "Oh no, no, she's just an invention. This character, Rose, I call her, Rose…" he frowned slightly, sounding thoughtful, "Seems to disappear later on…"

They turned another page were the Hatter froze completely. In the middle of the page were nine drawings of different women, all wearing different hats and with lines connecting them together like a spider web. In the very center of the web was a picture of a women that looked exactly like the Hatter with the number nine and some notes under the picture.

"Who is this?" the Matron asked, looking at John as the Hatter continued to stare at the page.

"Oh," John looked delighted, "This is the Hatter. She always seems to be different, not just her face but her habits to. She's always popping up and helping me on my adventures," he frowned slightly, glancing at the real Hatter standing beside him, "You remind me quite a bit of her, Miss Hatter".

The Hatter pretend to laugh, "Mr Smith, this Hatter sounds like a madwomen with a past that one could only dream off, perhaps in looks we are simular but I can assure you that I am not mad".

John laughed, turning the page to show a sketch of a Cybermen, the Hatter frowned but smiled when she saw that on the next page was a picture of the TARDIS.

"Ah, that's the box, the blue box, it's always there," John smiled, pointing at it, "Like a…like a magic carpet, this funny little box that transports me to faraway places".

"Like a doorway?" the Matron suggested.

"Mmm," John nodded, turning a page where all of his past self's were drawn just like the Hatter's past self's, the Hatter smiled at seeing them, remembering each one of them with fond memories, including the sixth Doctor who she had punched after he acting like arrogant idiot toward her and her companions, "I sometimes think how magical life would be like this were true".

"I agree, Mr Smith," the Hatter nodded, "If only".

"It's just a dream," John laughed quietly, turning the page to a sketch of the inside of a pocket watch. The Hatter glanced over to the mantel piece were she noticed said watch just before the school bell began to ring; students started rushing to class outside.

"Would it be alright, Mr Smith, for me to take this and read it?" the Matron asked, gesturing toward the book, "Unless Miss Hatter would like to read it first…"

"Oh no, you can read it first, Matron," the Hatter said, pretending to look a little stressed, "I'm afraid that I still have quite a bit of work to do and sadly I won't have enough time to read, perhaps when you are finish I will have time then".

"Then it's settled," John smiled happily, handing the Matron the book.

"Thank you, Mr Smith," the Matron nodded to him, smiling before walking out, Martha quickly followed after her.

"It was lovely to meet you, Mr Smith," the Hatter said as she to begin walking toward the door, "And I look forward to hearing more of these extraordinary dreams of yours".

"It was wonderful to meet you to, Miss Hatter," John smiled broadly at her, "I wish you good luck".

"Thank you," she nodded before opening the door and stepping out into the hallway were she spotted Martha talking to the Matron.

"Who is he, Martha?" the Matron frowned, sounding serious.

"I'm sorry?" Martha asked, confused.

"It's like he's left the kettle on," the Matron sighed, "Like…" she trailed off, trying to think of the right word, "Like he knows he has something to get back to, but he can't remember what".

Martha laughed, sounding slightly nervous, "That's just him," she shrugged.

"You arrived with him, didn't you?" she asked, Martha nodded, "He found you employment here at the school, isn't that right?"

"I used to work for the family, he just sort of inherited me," Martha explained briefly the story that she and the Hatter had made up.

"Well, I'd be careful," the Matron warned, "If you don't mind my saying so, you sometimes seem a little familiar with him. Best remember your position," she gave Martha a nod before turning and walking down the hall.

"Yes, ma'am," Martha said, not sounding to impressed.

She turned and began walking down the hall but the Hatter stepped beside her, making Martha jump, "Sorry," the Hatter smiled at her, looking slightly amused, "Making friends?"

"Yeah, beasties," Martha rolled her eyes, "Did you see the way she looked at me?"

"I know," the Hatter sighed, no longing looking amused, "I'm really am sorry, Martha but there's not much we can do, just grit your teeth and think of punching them as my old companion, Michael, once said," she frowned slightly, "Come to think of it, I hit him around his head after he said that. But then again, I was pretty stressed, being chased by a robot that looks and acts just like you will do that. Especially if you happen to get in to an argument with one".

Martha raised her eyebrows at the Time Lady, "Don't ask," she shook her head.

"Hey, how did you act all prim and proper like that?" Martha asked after a moment, "It took me weeks to get used to it and I still have trouble".

"Back on Gallifray, I used to talk like that all the time," the Hatter explained, "Time Lords and Ladies were expected to be polite, well mannered, and charming at all times. It took me three regenerations or so to break the habit of talking like I came from the Victorian era but once you have a habit, it never truly leaves you. Sometimes when I'm stressed or upset about something, I'll start talking like that, the Doctor managed to break the habit completely but I guess that was because he grew up from a very early age doing whatever he could to annoy his parents, I on the other hand didn't really start until I was about twenty, when I meet the Doctor".

"I bet your parents loved him," Martha remarked.

"Oh yeah, loved him," the Hatter scoffed, rolling her eyes, "My father threated to disown me if I continued to be the Doctors friend".

"What happened?"

"I told him that I couldn't care less what he did because I wasn't going to give up my friends just because someone told me to. In the end, my mother had to step between us and I was banished to my room until further notice, unknown to them, I managed to sneak a spear key into my room so that when they locked my door I could unlock it and walk around. The Doctor was extremely impressed when I told him".

Martha laughed before sighing, checking her watch, "I'd better go".

"Duty calls?" the Hatter joked.

"Shut up," Martha mumbled, shotting the Hater a glair before rushing off. The Hatter shook her head before turning back down the other end of the hallway and made her way toward her new room.

….

Later that night, Jenny and the Hatter sat outside the village pub on a table as Martha stepped out, carrying two pints, the Hatter had politely declined. All three women were dressed in thick coats and gloves, the Hatter more for appearances as she only felt slightly chilled.

"Ooh, it's freezing out here!" Martha exclaimed, shriving, "I don't understand, why can't we have a drink inside the pub?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Jenny laughed, the Hatter smiled slightly, "You don't get these notions! It's all very well those Suffragettes, but that's London, that's miles away".

"Besides, a little cold is good for the heart," the Hatter remarked, "It makes the blood pump faster, well, it does for…" she trailed off quickly as she realised she was about to say something that no human would know, "Never mind, I really must stop talking before I think".

Martha shook her head, turning back to Jenny, "But don't you want to scream sometimes, having to bow and scrape and behave, don't you just wanna tell them?"

Jenny glanced at the Hatter who smiled at her, "Don't concern yourself with me, Jenny. I agree with Martha, I've always thought that one should be allowed to do as they please should they wish".

Jenny smiled, looking a little relived, "I dunno. Things must be different in your country".

"Yeah, well they are," Martha nodded, sighing, "Thank God we're not staying".

"You keep saying that," Jenny frowned slightly.

"Just you wait," Martha said, the Hatter gave her a warning look but she missed it, "One more month and I'm free as the wind," she sighed, "I wish you could come with us, Jenny, you'd love it!"

"Perhaps she could," the Hatter said thoughtfully, "It would be nice to have another woman around to talk to".

"Where are you gonna go?" Jenny asked, looking curious.

"Anywhere," the Hatter smiled, looking up at the night sky with an almost wistful look, "And everywhere. Never stopping, always running," she laughed, "Just look up to those beautiful stars, Jenny. Imagine if you could go up there, all the up to the point that you can almost touch them".

"You don't half say mad things!" Jenny laughed.

"That's where we're going," Martha said, "Into the sky, all the way up".

Jenny laughed again just as there was a bright green light, shotting through the sky.

The Hatter froze, staring at it as Martha gasped, glancing at the Hatter, "Did you see that?" Martha breathed.

"See what?" Jenny frowned at their sudden change as the Hatter nodded.

"Did you see it?" Martha looked at the Hatter who nodded, looking slightly pale as she stood.

"Oh yes," the Hatter sighed, "I've been waiting for this".

"Martha, Miss Hatter, there's nothing there," Jenny shook her head at them.

The Hatter and Martha exchanged looks, a moment later the Matron appeared out of the dark, running towards them, looking scared and out of breath, "Matron, are you alright?" Martha asked.

"Did you see that?" the Matron gasped, the Hatter gave her a concerned look, "There was something in the woods…this light…"

"Deep breaths, Matron," the Hatter moved toward the shacking women, trying to soothe her, "It's alright".

Just then, Mr Smith stepped out of the pub and over to them, "Anything wrong, ladies?" he asked, moving toward the Hatter's side, looking concerned, "Far too cold to be standing around in the dark, don't you…"

"There!" the Matron cried, cutting John off as she pointed at the sky were another green light flew across, "There, look in the sky!"

"That's beautiful," Jenny breath, staring up at it.

"It is, isn't it?" the Hatter remarked, she would have smiled if she hadn't known what it really was.

"There…" John nodded, looking at the Hatter with a soft smile, "Commonly known as a meteorite. It's just rocks falling to the ground, that's all".

The Hatter returned his smile, "I must say, Mrs Smith, I am impressed. There are not many people who would know that. My grandfather would have enjoyed spending time with you, he was the one to spark my interested in science".

"It came down in the woods," the Matron frowned, cutting whatever John was going to say as she tried to look through the dark.

"No, no, no," John shook his head, "They always look close, when actually they're miles off. Nothing left but a cinder," he looked back to the Hatter, "Now…I think I should escort you back to school," he smiled, glancing at the Matron, "Matron?" she nodded before he looked at Martha, Jenny, and the Hatter, "Ladies?"

"No, we're find, thanks," Martha shook her head, looking toward the woods.

"Miss Hatter?" John asked, looking at her.

"Thank you, Mr Smith," the Hatter smiled, "But I think I will…"

"No, ma'am," Martha cut in, giving the Hatter a pointed look, "I'll be fine, you go ahead".

"Miss Jones," the Hatter tried but Martha shook her head, heavying a sigh, she turned back to Mr Smith, "It would seem that Miss Jones wishes to spend the night alone therefore, I would love to be escorted back to the school," she gave Martha a stern look over her shoulder, "Martha, please come and see me as soon as you can and do not, I repent, do not let anyone know that you are there. Please be careful".

Everyone other than Martha gave her an odd look but John shook his head, "Then I shall bid you goodnight," he smiled at Martha and Jenny, turning and walking down the path towards the school, the Matron and the Hatter follow.

"Jenny, where was that?" Martha once she was sure they were out of earshot, "On the horizon, where the light was headed".

"That's by Cooper's Field," Jenny replied, Martha quickly started running in the direction, "You can't just run off!" she called after her, "It's dark, you'll break a leg!"

Martha ignored her; Jenny sighed and chased after her.

_**It's really weird to write the Hatter, acting formal around the Doctor but at least the Hatter can act more like herself around Martha. And the Hatter has finely realised that she loves the Doctor, for a nine hundred and something Time Lady she can be pretty clueless about things but so can the Doctor. I have a link on my profile what the Hatter is wearing. Anyway, I hope you liked it, please review :)**_


	18. Chapter 18 Human Nature part 2

_**Human Nature part 2**_

Twenty minutes after the Hatter returned to the school, Martha appeared at her door, looking like she was about to freeze as she shrived violently, gasping for breath from running all the way back, "Can I come in?" she gasped as the Hatter stared at her, caught between concern and a strange urge to laugh.

Shaking her head, the Hatter quickly pulled her inside and closed the door behind her. Martha hurried over to the fireplace and started trying to warm herself.

"Are you insane?" the Hatter sighed, watching her for a moment before grabbing a blanket off her bed and putting it around Martha's shoulders, "If you end up sick, I'm not taking care of you".

"Thanks," Martha rolled her eyes, pulling the blanket around herself.

"Martha, I tried to tell you not to go," the Hatter shrugged, "But did you listen? No, and now you'll end up sick. The human body isn't built to go running around in below zero temperatures, Martha. Well, maybe it's not that cold but still. What if would have happened you if you tripped? You could have frozen to death".

"Has anyone ever told you that you can act like a real mother sometimes?" Martha asked after a moment.

The Hatter looked thoughtful, "Once or twice," she shook her head, fixing Martha with a stern look, "But that's beside the point, you could have gotten yourself killed".

"Jenny was there," Martha cut in before the Hatter could go on.

"Oh, that's just brilliant," she sighed, "Another person can get sick now, pretty soon the entire school will have it and…" she trailed off, groaning, "And then Mr Smith will end up sick and when the Doctor comes back he'll never let me forget it".

"Can he get sick?" Martha questioned before going on at the confused look she was given, "Mr Smith that is".

"He's human," the Hatter shrugged, taking a seat on a chair in front of the fire, "He can get whatever a human can. He could live out an entire human life, aging normally and eventually die as a human would, bearing no life threating accidents from now until then. I keep telling you, Martha, John Smith is not the Doctor, species or personality wise. John Smith hasn't been through the same things that have made the Doctor the man that he is today…or two months ago".

"I know," Martha sighed, nodding, "Oh, I went to that field that that light landed in".

"The Family landed in, you mean," the Hatter corrected, "We've already established that there here".

"Are you sure it was them because I saw were they landed and there was nothing there. Even Jenny couldn't see a thing".

The Hatter laughed, "Of course you wouldn't be able to see it, not with your human eyes, anyway".

"What do you mean?" Martha frowned.

"The Family will have their ship under some sort of shimmer or cloaking device," the Hatter explained, "More likely a cloaking device then a shimmer. They would be expecting the Doctor to still be a Time Lord and they won't want to make things easy for him to find them. Of course, they won't be expecting to have two Time Lords to deal with let alone the fact that all Time Lords were taught to see through cloaking or a shimmer device in school. The task of me finding the ship will be simple but…" she sighed, "Sadly, I can't just walk in there and tell them to leave before I do something rather nasty to their ships computers, that would be like someone holding up a sign over my head, saying, 'look, I'm a Time Lady, come get me!'"

"So were just going to sit around and wait?" Martha exclaimed, staring at the other women as if she had never seen her before.

"Yes. Our hands are tied for the time being," she glanced outside her window, "It's very late, Martha. Go to bed and will talk about this later".

"How can you be so calm about this?" Martha asked as she stood.

"Panicking about something we shouldn't know about would be a big sign of something being suspicious of us, don't you think? I know it might look like I'm not worried but I am. I'm just trying to keep a cool head, letting fear over rule us will always end badly, Martha. Now, I'm not saying that I don't let my own fear get in the way, of course I do, but sometimes we have to push through it before it takes control of us. Unless it's a Dalek then forget everything I just said because no words are ever going to get rid of my fear of them".

Martha sighed and went to open the door but paused, looking at the Hatter, "I have the day off tomorrow and I was thinking of checking on the TARDIS to make sure the Family hadn't founder her, want to come?"

The Hatter grinned; looking happier then she had all night before it fell, sighing, "I wish I could but I have classes all morning".

"What about lunch time?" Martha asked, "We could grab two bikes and make it there and back before anyone notices that were gone".

The Hatter coughed, looking embarrassed, "You can ride but I think I'll walk".

"Why?"

"Because…because…" she sighed, "Alright, fine, I can't ride a bike".

"What do you mean you can't ride a bike?" Martha stared at her, "You're a Time Lady".

"Yes, I'm also a Time Lady who never took the time to learn. You twenty first century humans learn to ride when you only kids, Time Lords don't even have bikes. I didn't see any point in learning so I never did".

"Can the Doctor?" Martha asked curiously.

"Yes," the Hatter sighed, "He tried to teach me but I made up an excuse and quickly starting a conversation with one of his companions. It's only lucky for me that he's so easily distracted," she shrugged, "Anyway, I can ride a horse and a lot of people can't do that".

Martha shook her head, "Is that a yes for tomorrow, lunch time, then?"

"Yes, I'll meet you there," the Hatter nodded.

"You don't even know were the TARDIS is," Martha frowned, "For all you know, I could have moved it".

"Time Lady, Martha," she pointed to her head, "Therefor, I can sense were she is. It also helps that I've been travelling inside her for so long that we've formed a slight connection. It's not very strong, not like the Doctor's but I can sense that old girl well enough to know where she is".

"Right," Martha gave her a slightly confused look before shaking her head, "Night, then".

"Night," the Hatter gave a cheery wave as Martha open the door and stepped out, closing it behind her before the Hatter sank back into her chair, closing her eyes as she started thinking deeply about the Family.

….

The next day, the Hatter began her first day of teaching. She was pleasantly surprised at how well her students behaved even though at first she received quit a few raised eyebrows from being told that there new teacher was a woman.

"Alright, class dismissed," the Hatter called as the bell rang, signalling the start of lunch, "Don't forget to do your homework, I don't like giving out dentations but I will if I have to".

The boys quickly gathered up there books and hurried out as the Hatter sighed, sitting back in her chair behind her desk and closed her eyes when her eyes snapped open, looking at the doorway were Mr Smith was standing.

"I didn't mean to interrupt," he blushed, moving to walk away, "I will leave you be".

"No, please stay," the Hatter shook her head, standing and gesturing for him to come in, "I'm sorry, I was just taking a moment to think. I had a friend once who used to tease me for thinking to deeply about things. What can I help you with, John?"

"I was wondering if you would like me to show you the village?" John blushed at the use of his first name, avoiding looking at the Hatter directly, "I understand it you don't…"

"I would love to," the Hatter smiled, cutting him off, "You have a class after lunch, yes?" he nodded, "Well, that works perfectly, I can wait until you have finished, would it be alright if I sit in and watch? I have always tried to find ways to improve my teaching and perhaps I can learn something from you".

John stared at her, blushing bright red, "If you think that I could help then I would be honoured, Miss Hatter".

"Please, just Hatter," she smiled again before frowning, "Tell me, John, do you teach a young boy by the name of Latimer?"

"Yes," he nodded, giving a concerned look, "Has he been causing you any trouble?"

"Oh no, not at all," the Hatter quickly shook her head, "He's quit a bright, young man but I'm concerned by the way the other students treat him. I noticed that he seems to hold himself back and I was just wondering whether or not you could have a word with him, perhaps try to find out what we could do to help him? I know from past expresses how horrible bullying can be".

John nodded, looking thoughtful, "Yes, I admit that I have noticed it myself but boys will be boys".

"That doesn't give them the right to degrade others, Mr Smith," she frowned.

"Oh, of course not, I didn't mean it to sound that way," John quickly said, "I apologise. I will talk with Mr Latimer".

"Thank you," the Hatter nodded, smiling at him, "And I understand".

There was a moment of silence until John cleared his throat, backing away toward the door, "Well, I will see you this afternoon, Miss Hatter, I hope".

"No need to hope, Mr Smith," she smiled at him again, "I'll be there".

He blushed again before nodding at her, hurrying out of the room, making the Hatter pinch herself to stop herself from laughing. Shaking her head, she quickly grabbed her things and rushed out of the class room and upstairs, leaving her things inside her room as she rushed off to meet Martha.

….

Martha waited outside the barn were the TARDIS was hidden inside, she had left her bike leaning against the side of the stone wall when the Hatter came running into view, coming to a stop in front of Martha, slightly out of breath.

"Sorry," she apologised, "I was held up by, Mr Smith. He's taking me on a tour of the village after lunch, want to come?"

"Somehow I don't think that he would want me to join you two," Martha smiled slightly.

"That's a shame," the Hatter sighed as she took out her own TARDIS key and they made their way inside the barn, the Hatter began unlocking the door and stepped inside, Martha closed the door behind her. As soon as the Hatter stepped inside, all of the lights brightened and a low hum sounded throughout the room, making the hair on the back of Martha's neck stand up.

"She's missed me," the Hatter grinned brightly, running up to the console and placing a hand on it, "Hello, old girl. Looks like someone's become a big softy in there old age, hmm? Like ship, like owner".

The console gave another hum that made the Hatter laugh, "Alright, I'll make sure to give him a nice smack around his head for leaving you for so long".

"What are you doing?" Martha asked, staring around in amazement, "You're acting as if it's alive".

"That's because it is," the Hatter replied simply, making Martha's mouth drop, "And it's not an 'it,' Martha. She's a 'she'. All TARDIS were girls and all TARDIS's were alive. They were grown not built and that's why you should always treat a TARDIS with the same respect that you would treat another person. Sadly, the Doctor forgets that and that's why I'm always telling him off for hitting her".

"If all TARDIS's were female, how did they reproduce?" Martha asked, pulling her gloves off and making her way toward the console.

The Hatter gave her a look, "Martha, I had four children and I never once slept with my husband, I think we can safely say that Time Lords could come up with a way to reproduce a TARDIS if we could reproduce a Time Lord without any trouble. Fun fact for you, I was the last Time Lord to be born naturally, everyone else was born by looms at that stage. My mother fall pregnant shortly before it was deemed that all children must be born via looms. Also, 'the Gifted One' could only be born via a natural birth".

"Just when you think you know everything," Martha shook her head, the Hatter laughed quietly. They circled the console for a moment, both lost in thought of what happened before the Doctor changed.

The Hatter shook her head, clearing her thoughts as she forceful pushed the thoughts of the Doctor screaming in agony as his entire biology was written away, just as she could vaguely remember herself doing, "The Doctor would have left us instructions on what to do, typical him, never thinking that I might just turn up before the end of three months," she glanced at Martha who nodded.

"Yeah, I've been over it a few times but he rambled on about things," she shrugged, "He even carried on about pears".

The Hatter made a disgusted face, "Pears are the Voldemort of the fruit world, Martha. I really can't blame the Doctor for not liking them, I mean, there just so…" she trailed off, sticking out her tong like a child, "I can't even think of a word to say how much I dislike them".

"I'm not even going to ask," Martha shook her head, she turned back to the console and pressed a button. The monitors screen fizzed and flicked to the Doctor sitting down in front of it.

"This working?" the Doctor asked, tapping the screen of the camera, making the Hatter laugh, "Martha, before I change here's a list of instructions for when I'm human. One, don't let me hurt anyone," the Hatter raised her eyebrows at Martha who shook her head, "We can't have that, but you know what humans are like. Two, don't worry about the TARDIS, I'll put it on emergency power so they can't detect it, just let it hide away. Four, no, wait a minute, three, no getting involved in big historical events. Four, you. Don't let me abandon you. And fi…"

Martha sighed and twisted a dial, fast forwarding through the Doctor's speech.

"I wish we could do that in real life," the Hatter remarked, watching the screen slightly amused, "Let me guess, this is when he starts rambling on about pears?"

"Yes," Martha sighed, she slowed the speed, making the film return to normal.

"And twenty three," the Doctor finished, "If anything goes wrong, if they find us Martha, then you know what to do. Open the watch. Everything I am is kept safe in there. Now, I've put a Perception Filter on it so the human me won't think anything of it, to him it's just a watch," the Doctor turned serious, "But don't open it unless you have to. Because once it's open, then the Family will be able to find me. It's all down to you, Martha. Your choice," he walked out of view before reappearing, "Oh, and thank you".

The recording ended with the Doctor smiling at the screen, the Hatter sighed.

"He'll be back soon," Martha tried to cheer the Time Lady up.

"Yeah," she nodded, not looking overly happy as Martha put a sisterly arm around her.

….

The Hatter had seen many things in her life but the one thing she had felt sure she would never see was the Doctor teaching children how to fire a machine gun. It had only taken her and Martha ten minutes to run back to the school and even less time to realise that she could hear machine guns being fired. They rushed to the patio area and watched, John stood behind a group of boys, instructing them to fire at three target dummies.

"Please tell me that I'm just having a nightmare, Martha," the Hatter gasped, looking horrified at what she was seeing, "How can he do this, let alone do this to children?"

"He's so different," Martha nodded, also looking upset at what she was seeing.

"Different?" the Hatter breathed, staring at John Smith in disbelief, "The Doctor would be horrified if he saw what his human self was doing, I am horrified. Children should be taught that killing is never an option and yet, here we are, watching young boys being taught that war is wonderful. It's not, it's terrifying and it's one of the worst things that I have ever witnessed".

"I'm sorry," Martha gave her a sympathetic look, "It must be hard to see things like this after everything you've been through".

The Hatter shook her head, "Don't be. War will always be around, whether that is in the future or in the past, one can never escape it. I leant that a long time ago, Martha".

"Cease fire!" the Headmaster shouted, suddenly appearing, cutting off whatever Martha was going to say.

"I suppose I should make my presences known," the Hatter sighed; she gave Martha a sad look before hurrying over to the group, noticing the Matron was also watching.

"Good day to you, headmaster," John greeted as the other man stopped beside him, his face lit up with a large smile as he noticed the Hatter walking toward them, "Miss Hatter, I was beginning to worry that you had lost track of time".

The Hatter forced a smile, nodding to the headmaster, "Good afternoon, sir, Mr Smith".

"Good day to you, Miss Hatter," the headmaster nodded to her, turning back to John, "Your crew's on fine form, Mr Smith".

"Excuse me, headmaster," Hutchinson, the boy that the Hatter had given a dentation earlier, interrupted before John could reply, glaring at another boy beside him; "We could do a lot better. Latimer is being deliberately shoddy".

"I'm trying my best," Latimer replied, the Hatter frowned at Hutchinson, perhaps this was the reason why Latimer seem to be holding back in class.

"You need to be better than the best," the headmaster told them, "Those targets are tribesmen from the dark continent".

The Hatter opened her mouth to say something but was cut off by Latimer, "That's exactly the problem, sir. They only have spears".

"Oh dear me," the headmaster said, giving the boy a stern look, "Latimer takes it upon himself to make us realise how wrong we all are. I hope, Latimer, that one day you may have a just and proper war in which to prove yourself. Now, resume firing".

"Forgive me, sir," the Hatter cut in, making everyone look at her, "But what is a just and proper war? What could be proper or just about people dying, witnessing on a daily bases things that will stay with them until there death?"

"I would never expect a woman to understand, Miss Hatter," the headmaster said, giving her a cold look.

"Just because I am a women does not mean that I can't understand something, sir," the Hatter argued, giving the man a cold look of her own, "A women is not as feeble as you seem to think, headmaster. I am a women and I would never allow a man to tell me what to do without a fight, things are changing in this world and I hope that one day you will look at a women and not just see someone who's only job is to keep house and look after the children but see someone who is an equal. There would be no man if there was not a women, sir," she glanced at the boys, "And I hope that you will remember that, lads".

The headmaster stared at her as if he had never seen her before, "Remember, Miss Hatter, I can very easily dismiss you".

"Yes," the Hatter nodded, she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply before fixing a smile, looking at the headmaster, "I apologise, sir. I shall….hold my tongue in the future, it has been a most trying day and I'm afraid that I am still coming to terms with being in the country".

The headmaster eyed her for a moment before looking back to the boys, nodding, "Resume firing".

Hutchinson began to fire; the Hatter winced slightly and turned away while Latimer feed the ammunition. After a moment the Hatter turned back around, narrowing her eyes as she noticed that Latimer seemed to be in a world of his own, not paying any attention even when the gun stopped.

"There's a stoppage, immediate action," Hutchison said, looking at Latimer, "Didn't I tell you, sir, this stupid boys useless! Permission to give Latimer a beating, sir?"

The Hatter's eyes widened as her eyes snapped to John and the headmaster's, "It's your class, Mr Smith," the headmaster looked to him.

"Permission granted," John said, making the Hatter almost gape at him.

"Right, come with me, you little oiyk," Hutchison grabbed Latimer's wrist and began to pull him but the Hatter stepped in front of them.

"Excuse me, Mr Smith," she glanced at him, "But I was actually hoping that Mr Latimer could move a few books for me, there quit heavy but I think he'll manage".

"Very well, Miss Hatter," John nodded, giving her a small smile.

The Hatter smiled before giving Hutchison a stern look, "You may go, Hutchison, quickly before I decide to give you an extra week of detentions for your bullying behaviour towards a fellow student," Hutchison quickly hurried away as the Hatter turned to Latimer, "There are some books in my room that I would like you to move down stairs, into my class room, please".

"Yes, ma'am," he nodded, walking toward the school.

The Hatter sighed and watched him go before turning back around to see Baines still there, standing beside John, sniffing loudly. John frowned and looked him up and down, "Anything the matter, Baines?" he asked.

"I thought…" Baines trailed off, glancing at the Hatter, "No sir. Nothing sir".

He turned and began walking toward the school, the Hatter watching him the entire time, frowning.

"As you were, Mr Smith," the headmaster nodded to them, "Miss Hatter," he turned and walked away.

John glanced at the Hatter, "Ah…Pemberton, Smythe, Wicks, take post," he told three other boys as they quickly took up positions at the guns before he walked over to the Hatter, "Please reminded me, Miss Hatter to never get on your bad side".

The Hatter smiled at him, "I only said what I believe, Mr Smith. I can get a little carried away, sometimes. Usually I have someone to stop me but I have been told that I can be quit scary when I'm angry".

"I don't think that you could ever be scary, Miss…Hatter," John smiled, blushing slightly, holding out his arm like a gentlemen, "May I escort you, ma'am?"

"You may," the Hatter curtseyed placing her hand on his arm as they began to walk but John noticed the Matron watching and paused.

"Ah, Nurse Redfern," John called to her.

The Matron shook her head, coming out of trance that she seemed to be in, "Um…I'll give you back your journal when next I see you".

"No, no, no," John shook his head, "You don't have to".

The Hatter frowned as she noticed how troubled the Matron looked, "Are you alright, Matron? You look very pale".

"Please excuse me, Mr Smith, Miss Hatter," the Matron shook her head again, "I was just thinking…" she trailed off as guns started firing behind them, "I'm sorry".

She turned and began to walk away but the Hatter called her back, "Would you like to accompany us, Matron? We're going to go for a walk, please join us".

"No, thank you," the Matron said polity, "I have work I should do," she nodded to them before walking back, still looking troubled.

John and the Hatter watched her go for a moment before continuing on their walk.

….

John and the Hatter strolled toward the village, talking as the Hatter struggled to stay as honest as she could about her own life; luckily she had managed to avoid the topic of herself, mostly.

"Can you honestly tell me, John, that you don't mind teaching young boys to kill?" the Hatter asked him, "Can you look me in the eye and tell me that you think it's right?"

"Don't you think that discipline is good for them?" John questioned.

"Of course I think it's good for them," she shook her head, "But why must it be so violent? Why can't it be something other than military discipline? If there's another war those boys won't find it so amusing".

"Well…" John said in a very Doctor like way that made the Hatter smile slightly, "Great Britain's at peace, long may it reign".

"I couldn't help but notice," the Hatter said slowly, thinking carefully about how she should word what she wanted to say, "In your journal, one of you stories, you wrote about next year. 1914".

"It was just a dream," John shook his head.

"Yes, but…" she glanced at him before going on, "All those terrible images of mud and wire. You wrote of a shadow, a shadow falling across the entire world".

"Well, we can be thankful it's not true. And I'll admit mankind doesn't need warfare and bloodshed to prove itself, everyday life can provide honour and valour and…let's hope that from now on this…this country can…can find its heroes in smaller places…" the Hatter glanced at him, noticing how distracted he was, following his gaze to see him staring at a women as she pushed a baby's pram up a hill, towards two man who were trying lift a piano, "In the most…" the Hatter's eyes winded as the rope began to fray, "Ordinary…" the women walking with her baby is almost under the piano, "Of deeds!"

He grabbed a cricket ball out of mid-air as a young boy played with it, throwing it at a bundle of poles, causing them to fall, hitting a plank of wood with a brick at the end, sending the brick flying over the piano, knocking a milk churn in front of the women. The woman paused, screaming as the piano crashed.

The Hatter blinked a few times, staring in amazement that John could have done that without having any knowledge of being a Time Lord. John looked on, clearly surprised by his new found talent. Two men who had been pulling the piano up rushed to the woman's aid as the baby started crying. John continued to stand there, looking shocked.

"Lucky…" he muttered.

"Lucky?" the Hatter laughed, smiling at him, "John, that was not lucky, that was you being brilliant!"

John grinned, laughing slight as he felt like he was floating, "Miss Hatter," he turned to her, plucking up all of his courage as he took her hand, his heart racing madly, "Might I invite you to the village dance this evening?" he asked quickly, "As my guest?"

The Hatter blinked, looking surprised, "You want to invite me?"

"I will understand if…" he trailed off as the Hatter kissed his cheek.

"I would love to, John," she smiled, "You truly are an extraordinary man".

They looked at each other before bursting into laughter, looking back over to the woman and her baby.

….

John and the Hatter continued on their stroll as they made their way back toward the school, passing fields with old scarecrows in them.

"It's all becoming so much clearing now," the Hatter teased John, "The Doctor is the man you would like to be, doing near impossible things with cricket balls"

"Well, I discovered a talent, that's certainly true!" John laughed.

"But that Doctor seems to have a bit of an eye for the ladies!" the Hatter laughed, trying to think of one time he had ever showed an interested in a women other than herself.

"The devil!"

"A girl in every fireplace and that's not to mention all of the others…."

John shook his head, laughing, "Now, there I have to protest, Ariana, that's hardly me!"

The Hatter blinked a few times at being called by her old nickname before shrugging it off, smiling at John.

"That scarecrows all skewed," he frowned, spotting a scarecrow in a field they were just passing.

He walked over to it and began stretching its arms across the frame, tying it, "Ever the artist," the Hatter remarked, watching him as she tried to think up a way to spark his memories of the Doctor, "Where did you learn to draw?"

"Gallifrey".

The Hatter hid her smile of surprise, "Is that in…Ireland?"

"Yes," he nodded, looking unsure, "It must be, yes…" he trailed off.

"But you're not Irish?" the Hatter commented, wondering just how much he would remember.

"Not at all, no," John shook his head, "My father Sidney was a watchmaker from Nottingham and my mother Verity was…" he paused, glancing at the Hatter with a small smile, "…um…well, she was a science teacher, actually".

The Hatter raised her eyebrows, looking surprised, "I must say that I am surprised, John. I don't believe that I have ever met a fellow teacher of science who was a women," she gave him another teasing look, "You're not just saying that to impress me, are you?"

"Not at all," John quickly said, "My mother truly was a science teacher".

"I believe you, I was only teasing," the Hatter smiled.

John looked slightly relived, "Well, my work is done," he gestured to the scarecrow, "What do you think?"

"Masterpiece".

"All sorts of skills today!" John grinned, linking his arm through the Hatter's as they laughed, making their way back towards the road and toward the school.

….

It was later in the day and they were sitting in John's study, John had managed to twist the Hatter's arm into posing for him while he sketched in a small book. The Hatter almost sighed in relief when John lowered the book, she may not have been as bad as the Doctor when it came to sitting for a long time but she still preferred to be doing something.

"May I see?" she asked, John stood and sat beside her on the sofa, showing her the sketch, the Hatter laughed, "Are you quit sure that you have the right page?" she pointed to the next page were a sketch of a Slitheen was, "Are you sure that's not me?"

"Most definitely this page, I should think," John gently moved her hand to the sketch of her.

The Hatter shook her head, smiling, "You have made me far more beautiful then I truly am".

"Well that's how I see you," he pushed a piece of lose hair behind her ear, staring into her eyes.

"You hardly know me, John," the Hatter sighed, "For all you know I could be someone else, someone you wouldn't like".

"I don't think that could ever happen," John breathed, leaning forward and placing a soft kiss on her lips, the Hatter knew she should pull away but somehow, she couldn't. A moment later, John pulled back.

"I've never, um…" he trailed off, finding himself at a complete loss for words as he stared at her, the Hatter not knowing what came over her, leaned forward and kissed him instead. John immediately responded by deepening the kiss, brining an arm around her waist to draw her closer, the Hatter brought her arm around his neck, trying not to think about how wrong it was for her to be doing this. When suddenly, the door burst open.

"Martha, what have I told you about entering unannounced?" John snapped as they jumped away from each other, the Hatter blushing bright red, trying not to look guilty.

Martha ran back out, missing the Hatter calling after her as she slammed the door behind her and leaning agains it before hurrying down the hallway.

Back inside the room, the Hatter groaned into her hands, "Oh Martha".

"I'm sorry, Ariana," John apologised; the Hatter jumped slightly, having forgotten that she wasn't alone.

"No, it's fine," she quickly said, standing, "I've got to go, I'll meet you here before the dance," not waiting for a reply, she hurried out of the room but it was too late, Martha had already disappeared.

….

Later that night, the Hatter made her way back to John's study. She had decided to dresses in an orange, shot sleeve dress with a lifted front to show the cream coloured under lay. There were tiny, cream flowers pattered on it, too. Her hands were covered in white; evening gloves that ended just below her sleeves. She had changed her black boots to a pair of white, small heeled shoes, a black hand bag, a pair of white gold, hanging earrings, and she had a black, feather clip in her hair. And of course, the bracelet to keep her hidden from the Family.

As soon as she stepped inside John's study, his mouth dropped open and his eyes glassed over. He was dressed in a very nice, grey tweed suit, "You look…" he trailed off, staring at her, "Beautiful".

"Thank you, John," she smiled, looking embarrassed, "Now, you must give me some warning. Can you dance?"

"Um…" John frowned, looking unsure, "I'm not certain…"

"There's a surprise," the Hatter smiled, holding back a laugh, "Is there anything you're certain about?"

"Yes," John stepped forward, "Most defiantly, yes," he leaned forward and kissed her.

The Hatter felt yet again that feeling of guilt but she forced it away as John deepened the kiss. They continued to kiss until the door opened and Martha ran in, breathless, "They've found us!"

The Hatter and John jumped apart and John frowned at Martha, "Martha, I've warned you…" he began.

Martha didn't pay him any attention, looking at the Hatter, "They've found us…" she gasped, grabbing the Hatter's hands, making her grow extremely serious, "They look like people, like us, like normal. I'm sorry, but we've got to open the watch".

She looked toward the mantelpiece; the Hatter glanced over to it to, "No, no, no," the Hatter groaned, rushing over to it when she saw the watch wasn't there, "Please tell me that I'm dreaming".

"Where is it?" Martha started moving things out of the way, behind them, John watched, looking confused, "Oh my God, where's it gone? Where's the watch?"

"What are you talking about?" John frowned, confused by their behaviour.

"You had a watch, a fob watch," Martha exclaimed before the Hatter could stop her, "Right here!"

"Martha…" the Hatter started but was cut off, she had compliantly forgotten all about John still being in the room.

"Did I?" John blinked, shaking his head, "I don't remember".

"Martha, perhaps…" once again, the Hatter was cut off.

"But we need…" Martha trailed off, "Oh my God, Doctor," the Hatter almost face palmed herself, "We're hiding from aliens, and they've got Jenny…"

"Are you sure?" the Hatter asked sharply.

Martha nodded, "Pretty sure, yeah. They've possessed her or copied her or something and you've got to tell me…"

"Martha, that's enough," the Hatter said, she grabbed her arm, sending John a apologetic look as she stepped out into the hallway, pulling Martha with her, "You said that they've taken Jenny," Martha nodded, "Alright, tell me what she did".

"She tried to kill me," Martha almost cried, "She tried to shot me, missed but only just. She also kept on asking me about you and Mr Smith".

"Baines," she sighed, "He was acting odd earlier. He must have picked up something".

"But that bracelet…"

"Isn't fool proof," the Hatter cut in, "We're lucky that I even managed to get it to work for as long as it has, also, I may have lost my temper, slightly…" she sighed, "I might have said something's about the future but I wasn't exactly expecting the Family to be disguised as a school boy, was I?"

"Well, what do we do?" Martha asked.

The Hatter looked thoughtful, "We…" she sighed after a moment, "Martha, when the Family take over someone, there's no bringing them back. Jenny is but a shell, being controlled by the Family. I'm so, so, sorry, I wish I could help her but it's too late".

Martha blinked back tears, taking a deep breath, "What…what do we do, then?"

"You are going to stay here while I look for the watch".

"Why?" Martha demanded.

"Because I have a better chance of finding it," the Hatter answered, "You stay here and look after Mr Smith, I'll be back soon. Hopefully".

"No," Martha shook her head stubbornly, "I'm going to help you. Go to the dance and _you_ keep an eye on him. I'll try and find a way to bring the Doctor back without the watch".

"Martha, it isn't safe," the Hatter frowned.

"And I don't care," Martha said simply.

The Hatter stared at her for a moment before sighing, "Alright, fine, we'll do it your way but please be careful, Martha. If you get into trouble, try and get to the TARDIS, you should be safe in there, understand?"

Martha nodded, hurrying down the hallway, the Hatter watched her for a moment before stepping inside John's study, "I'm so sorry about that, John," she apologised, "Martha, she seems to have become confused by your journal, culture shook, no doubt. Not to worry, I think I helped her to see the truth".

John nodded, smiling at her as he held out his hand for her to take, "Shall we go, then?"

The Hatter nodded, fixing a bright smile to her face as she took his hand, trying not to show how worried she really was as they began to leave.

…

It didn't take them long before they were walking up the pathway toward the village hall, people could be heard inside, laughing, talking as an old man stood at the main door, holding a collection tin, "Spare a penny for the veterans of the Crimea, sir?" he asked John as they approached.

"Yes, of course," John reached inside his pocket and pulled out a couple of coins, dropping them in the tin, "There you are".

They continued on their way inside were people were standing around, talking, drinking, waiting for the dance to begin.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" an announcer called a moment later, "Please take your partners for a waltz".

The Hatter couldn't help herself from smiling, remembering how she and the Doctor would spend hours trying to teach each other how to dance when they were in school, perhaps that was why they both enjoyed dancing so much, it brought back memories from there childhood.

"Would you like to dance?" John asked.

"I do believe that is why they call it a dance, John," the Hatter smiled, taking his hand as he led her onto the dance floor just as the music started, "You can dance," she teased, acting slightly surprised as they danced.

"I've surprised myself," John smiled, until they danced into another couple, "Sorry," he laughed.

"Maybe not," the Hatter laughed.

…

The Hatter waited while John went to get them some drinks, looking around she noticed the Matron was watching her, sitting at a table alone and could help but feel slightly guilty, knowing how the nurse felt about Mr Smith. She sighed and made her way over to her, taking a seat, "Nice to see you again, Matron," she greeted, giving her a friendly smile, "Lovely dress, it really brings out your eyes".

"Thank you," the Matron said stiffly.

"I'm sorry," the Hatter said after a moment, "I know how you feel about, John. I'm sorry. I never planned…" she trailed off, "He's different from any other man you've ever met, right?"

"Yes," the other women said after a moment, eyeing the Time Lady.

"Don't worry, I'm not here to upset you," the Hatter quickly said, "I just want you to listen, please," the Matron frowned but didn't say anything, "In the past, he has said strange things, yes? People and places that you have never heard of, hmm? But it's so much deeper than that. When you look in his eyes…you just know that there's something else, something hidden. Right behind the eyes, something hidden away. In the dark".

"I don't…" but the Matron was cut off by Martha running over to them.

"Hatter, I found something that might work," she told her, the Hatter quickly stood as Martha pulled the Doctor's sonic screwdriver out of her pocket, "I couldn't find the watch but I thought this might trigger some memorises".

"It's better than nothing," the Hatter said, giving Martha a smile, "Good job, Martha Jones".

"Oh, now really, Martha," John sighed as he returned, not looking very pleased, "This is getting out of hand. I must insist that you leave".

Martha glanced at the Hatter who took the sonic out of her hands, holding it up for John to see, "John, do you know what this is?" John frowned at it, recognition passed his face for a brief moment, "Go on, name it. You can do it. Name it".

John frowned again as he slowly picked it up, looking at it.

"You're not John Smith," Martha told him, the Hatter nodded along with her words, "You're called the Doctor. The man in your journal, he's real. He's you".

"And I'm not Ariana Hatter," the Hatter added quietly, she had an odd feeling that someone was listening in, "Ariana was my nickname in school, I am the Hatter. Simply that. Those nine women that you wrote about in your journal, they were me. Please, I know that you can feel it, I know that you know the truth. Listen to your heart and it will tell you".

John went to open his mouth but before he could speak an older man, walked in, holding a gun as he knocked over a hat stand, "There will be silence!" he shouted, "All of you!" scarecrows like the one from earlier began filling in, following after Jenny and Baines, "I said silence!"

"Mr Clark!" the announcer called from the front of the room, "What's going on?"

Clarke looked at the man and fired his gun at him, dissolving him into thin air. The Hatter moved to step forward but Martha pulled her back.

"Mr Smith," Martha said, turning to the extremely confused man, "Everything we've just told you, forget it! Don't say anything".

"We asked for silence!" Baines shouted, everyone stopped screaming, "Now then. We have a few questions for Mr Smith".

"No, better than that," a little girl with brown hair and holding a rad blown stood, walking over to the Family, "The teacher. He's the Doctor. I heard them talking".

"You took human form," Baines said, staring at John, sounding slightly amused.

"Of course I'm human, I was born human!" John shouted, "As were you, Baines. And Jenny, and you, Mr Clarke! What is going on? This is madness!"

"And a human brain, too!" Baines laughed, the Hatter glared at him, "Simple, thick and dull!"

"He's no good like this," Jenny frowned.

"We need a Time Lord," Clarke added.

"Easily done," Baines stepped forward, raising the gun so it was aimed at John, the crowd gasped and John recoiled, the Hatter tried to move in front of him but Martha stopped her.

"Change back," Baines ordered.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" John exclaimed, shaking his head.

"Change back!"

"I literally do not know…"

Jenny grabbed Martha, pulling her back as she put a gun to her head and an arm around her throat.

"Get off me!" Martha shouted, struggling.

"Let her go!" the Hatter shouted but no one paid her any attain.

"She's your friend, isn't she?" Jenny asked, staring at John, "Doesn't this scare you enough to change back?"

"I don't know what you mean!" John shouted frantically.

"Wait a minute…." Jenny paused, looking thoughtful, "The maid told me about Smith and the science teacher…that women there!" she pointed at the Hatter.

"Let's have you!" Clarke grabbed the Hatter, pulling her toward him, putting the gun to the side of her head and another arm around her neck as she struggled.

"Don't be fools," she laughed, glaring at the Family, "Trust me, if you knew anything about me or what I could do, you wouldn't dare lay a finger on me or the people I care about! Let go!"

"Have you enjoyed it, Doctor?" Baines asked, not taking any notice of the Hatter, "Being human? Has it taught you wonderful things, are you better, richer, wiser? Then let's see you answer this. Which one of them do you want us to kill? Maid or teacher? Your friend or your love? Your choice".

_**I just had to add a slightly guilty Hatter but I would think that most people would feel that way, even if they knew that the guy they were making out with wasn't really there best friend, still. There's a link on my profile to show what the Hatter's outfit for the dance looks like. I hope you liked it, tell me what you thought, please review :)**_


	19. Chapter 19 The Family of Blood, part 1

_**The Family of Blood, part 1.**_

"Make your decision, Mr Smith," Jenny smirked, John looked in-between the two women, how could he possibly pick?

"Don't, John!" the Hatter shouted but Clarke slapped his hand over her mouth, making her start muffling curse words in Gallifreyan, most of which she had picked up from the Doctor.

"Perhaps if that human heart breaks, the Time Lord will emerge," Baines remarked.

"Wait," Clarke suddenly said, making everyone look at him. He leaned closer to the Hatter and sniffed, "This one smells…different, almost…"

"Almost like a Time Lady?" the Hatter managed to make Clarke take his hand away from her mouth, "Fancy that," and before anyone could blink, she elbowed Clark and spun out of his grip, twisting his arm and forcing him to realise his gun, she moved back words and would have tripped if John hadn't grabbed her. She gave him a grateful look, stepping away and quickly aiming the gun at Baines.

"Sorry about that," she smiled slightly, not looking sorry at all, "I'm not usually one for violence but let it never be said that I wouldn't do anything to help a friend," she lost the smile and glared at the Family, "You will let Martha Jones go or I will fire this. Don't make the mistake of thinking I won't".

"A Time Lady, even better," Baines eyed the Hatter with a hungry look on his face.

The Hatter fired, only just missing Baines face as it flew over his head, "I think you might won't to rethink that, sonny-boy," she smiled sweetly at him, "You see, the Doctor may think that I can't take care for myself but I most certainly can. You see, I may not have much experience shooting but I do have a brilliant aim, well, maybe not brilliant but I've been told that its quit good," she frowned, shaking her head, "Sorry, I was rambling. Just another annoying habit I picked up from the Doctor. Anyway, let Martha go or I will shoot and this time, I won't miss".

"Careful, Son of Mine," Clarke warned, eyeing the Hatter, seeing how serious she really was, "This is all for you so that you can live forever".

"Shoot you down!" Baines shouted, aiming his own gun at the Hatter.

"Try it," the Hatter shrugged, not looking slightly concerned for her own life, "But take it from someone who is much older and wiser then you, living forever won't bring you happiness, life is painful at the best of times let alone living it forever. Now, let Martha go".

"Would you really pull the trigger?" Baines mused.

"The question you should be asking is who I am?" the Hatter said, "Ever heard of the Daleks? Or the Cybermen? Now, I don't have a name with them, unlike the Doctor but surly even you have heard of the battle fleet of Cybermen that flew it a supernova after a certain someone hacked into their computers," the Family recoiled, staring at the Hatter with wide eyes, "Oh, I see my reparation proceeds me. Hello, I'm the Hatter and if you wish to continue, you will realise Miss Jones, right now".

Baines slowly lowered his gun, giving Jenny a nod to realise Martha who quickly backed away from the Family. John stared in complete shock and amazement of what he was witnessing.

"Martha, are you alright?" the Hatter asked, not taking her eyes off the Family.

"Yeah, I think so," Martha breathed.

"Good," the Hatter nodded, looking calm, "Now, I want you to get everyone out, make sure they get somewhere safe. I'm putting you in charge of keeping an eye on John. There's a door off to the side. Get everyone out. Now!"

"But Hatter…" Martha began.

"Please don't argue, Martha," the Hatter sighed, "Just get everyone out, don't worry about me," she glanced at her and smiled, "When have you ever known me not to have a plane?" Martha went to answer but the Hatter shook her head, "Alright, bad choice of words, please just make sure everyone is safe".

Martha nodded, turning to the crowed, "Do what she said. Everybody out now!" she started ushering people toward the doors, grabbing Johns arm, trying to pull him away.

"No, let me go!" John shouted, struggling to get to the Hatter, "I will not leave her! Ariana!"

"Please go with Martha, John," the Hatter glanced at him, begging him with her eyes, "I'll be fine, I have done this plenty of times before. Just focus of keeping yourself safe. Now go".

Martha struggled to pull John away; the Matron noticed and quickly started helping her, following the crowed of screaming villages out of the door, leaving the Hatter alone to face the Family.

"Family of Blood," the Hatter said after a moment, still pointing the gun at Baines, "I give you a choice that I suggest you take because you will not be offered another," she paused, making sure they understood, "I offer you the chance to leave this planet and its people behind, I will even make sure to find you a planet that you can peaceful end your days on," she paused once again before continuing, "Make that choice or you will find out just why I offered you this generous offer even after you killed a number of people, not to mention hunted myself and my friends down".

Baines laughed, "The legends of the Hatter are true. Always giving second chances to those that do wrong. So forgiving. Tell me, could you really forgive yourself if you killed us?"

The Hatter swallowed hard, "I wouldn't be me if I didn't regret killing, I don't believe in killing but if it means keeping an entire world safe, then I will do whatever I have to. No doubt I will hate myself later but I already hate myself as it is".

Suddenly, from behind a scarecrow grabbed the Hatter, "Get the gun!" Baines shouted as the Hatter lost her grip on it, somehow managing to twist away from the scarecrows clutches and make a mad dash for the door.

She bolted outside to see John, Martha, and the Matron standing outside, John still seemed to be struggling to get away from the two women, "I think I said something about running?" the Hatter said as she stopped in front of them, keeping an eye on the halls door in case the Family tried to come after her, "Goodness your rubbish as a human, no offences," she added quickly, grabbing Johns hand, "Come on. Run!"

Martha and the Matron didn't need telling twice, chasing after the Time Lady as she pulled John alone.

….

When they arrived back at the school, breathless but otherwise unharmed, John closed the heavy wooden front doors before rushing over to a hand bell, ringing it.

"What are you doing?" Martha demanded, the Hatter watched him with a slight frown.

"Maybe one man can't fight them, but this school teachers us to stand together," John explained before shouting, "Take arms! Take arms!"

"You can't do that!" both Martha and the Hatter shouted together, staring at him as if he had lost his mind.

"You want to fight, don't you?" John said, shouting, "Take arms! Take arms!"

"Not like this!" the Hatter exclaimed.

Boys started coming down stairs, Hutchinson hurried over to John, "I say sir, what's the matter?"

"Enemy at the door, Hutchinson," John told him, "Enemy at the door. Take arms!"

"This is insane," the Hatter shook her head, "They don't stand a chances against the Family," she glanced at Martha, looking slightly sick and horrified as she watched, "It's going to turn into a blood bath".

The boys ran around the school, lording machine guns and preparing other weapons, leaving Martha and the Hatter to follow after John, trying to make him see sense.

"You can't do this, Doctor," Martha shouted, follow after him, "Mr Smith!"

"Please, John, listen to us," the Hatter pleaded but he ignored them.

"Maintain position over the stable yard," he ordered a few boys.

"John, there only boys," the Hatter tried again, "Children don't belong in war. You can't ask them to fight in something they don't have anything to do with!"

"Faster now! That's it!"

The Hatter sighed, stepped forward she grabbed his shoulders and forced him to look at her, "I know how confused you are, John. Believe me, but you can't do this. They don't stand a chance, not against the Family".

"They're cadets," John told her, his eyes softening slightly as he looked at her, "They are trained to defend the King and all his properties".

"There only children," the Hatter repented softly, "They may be trained to act like adults but at the end of the day, they're still boys. Boys who will not stand a chance against a threat like the Family".

"What in thunder's name is this?" the headmaster demanded, striding into the room, looking around at everything, cutting off whatever John was about to say, "Before I devise and excellent and endless series of punishments for each and every one of you, could someone explain, very simply and immediately, exactly what is going on?"

John stepped forward, "Headmaster, I have to report the school is under attack".

"Really?" the headmaster eyed John, "Is that so? Perhaps you and I should have a word in privet".

"I promise you, sir," John said, "I was in the village with Miss Hatter. It's Baines, sir. Jeremy Baines and Mr Clarke from Oakham Farm. They've gone mad, sir. They've got guns. They've already murdered people in the village. I saw it happen".

The headmaster's eyes widened, glancing at the Hatter before looking at the Matron who had clearly been to the dance to, "Matron, is that so?"

"I'm afraid it's true, sir," she nodded.

"Murder on our own soil?" the headmaster questioned.

"I saw it, yes".

"Perhaps you did well then, Mr Smith," the Headmaster said after a moment, frowning at him, "What makes you think the danger's coming here?"

"Well, sir, they said, um…" John trailed off, not sure how to say it.

"Baines threatened Mr Smith, sir," the Matron stepped forward, "Um, said he'd follow him. We don't know why".

"Very well," the headmaster nodded, turning to a couple of boys, "You boys, remain on guard. Mr Snell, telephone the police. Mr Philips, with me. We shall investigate".

Martha stepped forward in front of the headmaster, stopping him, "No, it's not safe out there".

"Mr Smith, it seems your favourite servant is giving me advice," the headmaster commented, glaring at Martha, the Hatter stepped beside her, "You will control her".

"Oh no he won't," the Hatter said, glaring at the headmaster, stopping him from moving once more, "Martha has every right to say what she wishes," adding slightly mockingly, "_Sir_. She was trying to warn you that if you step outside, you will be very lucky to return alive".

"How dare you," the headmaster said coldly, "You will be wise to hold your tongue, Madame".

"Perhaps but I have never taken the wiser option," the Hatter replied, seeming not to care in the slights, if she could face down a Dalek then she could face down a human headmaster, "Listen to us. Stepping outside will be suicide. But because I'm a women you won't listen, will you? I'll tell you what; I'm over nine hundred years old, I have faced creatures like the Family before and I will in the future, so _you_ would be the one who would be wise to hold _your_ tongue".

"Conceder yourself dismissed, Miss Hatter," the headmaster said, "I will not take such disobedience from my staff," he shot her a glare before walking straight passed her and out of the room.

"Just another reason why 1913 is one of my least favourite years," the Hatter shook her head, not looking upset at all about being fired, "Women can't even give lifesaving advice without being fired. Typical," she rolled her eyes, quickly turning to Martha, ignoring the looks she was getting from John and the Matron, "Martha, you need to find the Doctor's watch, I'll join you in a moment".

The Hatter started to leave but Martha called her back, "Wait, where are you going?"

She gestured down to her dress, "It will only take me two minutes to change. Literally. I've already tripped over this stupid dress once, I don't want to do so again," she started leave but stopped, "You put my scarf in my room, right?"

Martha nodded, the Hatter grinned before running out of the room. Martha sighed, grabbing the Matrons arm and pulling her upstairs, leaving John alone.

….

Exactly two minutes later, the Hatter was dressed in her skinny black jeans, purple converses, t-shirt, trench coat, purple hat, and long scarf. She had even taken the time to let her hair down. She quickly hurried back to the room were John was standing by the window, looking out as the headmaster and Mr Phillips spoke to the Family and joined him.

"Keep a civil tongue, boy," the headmaster was saying to Baines, the Hatter sighed and shook her head.

"Now, come now everyone," Mr Phillips cut in, adding his own input, "I suspect alcohol has played its part in this. Let's all calm down. And who are these friends of yours, Baines? In fancy dress".

"Do you like them, Mr Phillips?" Baines asked, "I made them myself," he walked toward one of the scarecrows standing off to the side of him, "I'm ever so good at science, sir. Look…" he pulled the scarecrows arm off; the Hatter couldn't help but look impressed.

"Nice molecular fringing animation job," she remarked, making John look at her in surprise, having not noticed her standing beside him, "Simple but effective".

"Molecular fringe animation fashioned in the shape of straw men," Baines smirked slightly, turning back to look at the headmaster, "My own private army, sir. Ever so good, sir".

"Baines, step apart from this company and come inside with me," the headmaster held out his arm, gesturing him to come with him.

"No, sir," Baines started walking forward, "You, sir, you will send us Mr John Smith and Miss Hatter. That's all we want, sir, and whatever he's done with his Time Lord consciousness. Then we'd be very happy to leave you alone".

"Yeah, good luck with that," the Hatter muttered, shooting John a comforting smile as he grabbed her hand, gripping it tightly, "Don't worry, John, I won't let them harm you. Or die trying," he gave a startled look, "Okay; maybe I should have left that last part off".

"You speak with someone else's voice, Baines," the headmaster frowned, "Who might that be?"

"We are the Family of Blood," Baines replied.

The headmaster swallowed, looking uneasy, "Mr Smith said there had been deaths".

"Yes, sir!" Baines grinned, turning away from the headmaster, "And they were good, sir!"

"Well, I warn you, the school is armed".

"All your little tin soldiers. But tell me, sir, well they thank you?"

"I don't understand," the headmaster shook his head, confused.

"What do you know of history, sir?" Baines questioned, walking back toward the headmaster, "What do you know of next year?"

"You're not making sense, Baines," the headmaster frowned, the Hatter sighed, looking down as she tried not to think about what they were talking about. She had always tried to avoid going to time periods that she knew war was going on, even before the Time War started.

"1914, sir," Baines continued, "Because the Family have travelled far and wide looking for Mr Smith and, oh, the things we have seen," he stopped in front of the headmaster, "War is coming. In foreign fields, war of the whole wide world, will all your boys falling down in the mud. Do you think they will thank the man who taught them it was glorious?"

"Don't you forget, boy, I've been a soldier! I was in South Africa, I used my dead mates as sandbags, I fought with the butt of my rifle when the bullets ran out, and I would go back there tomorrow for King and Country!"

"Et cetera, et cetera," Baines spun suddenly and fired at Mr Phillips, disintegrating him. The Hatter and John gasped, John grasped the Hatter's hand and brought it to his chest over his racing heart, the headmaster stared in shock and horror, "Run along, headmaster. Run back to school," Baines aimed his gun at the horrified man, shouting, "And bring us Mr Smith and the Hatter!"

Jenny started laughing as the headmaster ran back inside, John and the Hatter stepped back from the window, the Hatter forced John to look at her, "I promise you, John, that I will do everything in my power to keep you safe and well," she kissed his cheek, staring into his eyes with a small smile, "And I always keep my promises".

John nodded, pulling her into his arms, not taking any notice in her unusually style of dress.

"Mr Phillips has been murdered, Mr Smith," the headmaster walked in, causing John to step away from the Hatter, "Can you tell me why?"

John glanced at the Hatter before looking back to the headmaster, "Honestly, sir, I have no idea. And the telephone line's been disconnected. We're on our own".

"If we have to make a fight of it, then make a fight we shall," the headmaster nodded, avoiding looking at the Hatter, "Hutchinson," he turned to the boy, "We'll build a barricade within the courtyard, fortify the entrance, build out defences. Gentlemen, in the name of the King, we shall stand against them".

"Yes, sir!" the boys shouted, turning and walking out of the door to follow their orders, the Hatter shook her head, looking sick.

"This is…" she trailed off, shaking her head, "I can't believe I'm watching this," she glanced at John before hurrying away, leaving John to stare after her before going on with his own duties.

….

"I know it sounds mad," Martha said to the Matron, searching through things on John's desk in his study, "But when the Doctor became human, he took the alien part of him and stored it inside the watch. It's not really a watch, it just looks like a watch".

"And alien means…" the Matron trailed off, thinking of the word as she watched Martha search, "Not from abroad, I take it.

Martha looked at her, "The man you call John Smith…he was born on another world".

"A different species".

"Pretty much," both women turned to see the Hatter leaning against the doorway, Martha noticed she was dressed in her usually outfit.

"Then tell me, in this fairy tale…who are the two of you?"

"Just a friend," Martha replied, "I'm just his friend".

"And you?" the Matron raised her eyebrows at the Hatter who walked over to them, leaning against John's desk.

"I'm…." the Hatter trailed off, looking unsure herself, "Were…the Doctor and I are best friends," the Matron and Martha raised there eyebrows at her, "What? We are".

"You don't seem very sure about it," Martha smiled knowingly at her.

The Hatter rolled her eyes, "Martha, were friends. Best friends. Nothing more, nothing less".

"You're not human I take it?" the Matron question the Hatter.

"One hundred percent Time Lady, I'm afraid," the Hatter smiled, nodding over to Martha, "But don't worry, Martha's human".

"More than that," Martha added, "I just don't follow them both around. I'm training to be a doctor, not an alien doctor, a proper doctor, a doctor of medicine".

"Well that certainly is nonsense," the Hatter and Martha exchanged looks as they looked at the other women; "Women might train to be doctors, but hardly a skivvy and hardly one of your colour".

"Martha," the Hatter smiled, looking at her, "I do believe that you are being challenged".

Martha grinned at her, holding up her hand to the Matron, "Bones of the hand. Carpal bones, proximal row: scaphoid, lunate, triquetrous, pisiform. Distal row: trapezoid, capitate, hamate. Then the metacarpal bones extending in three distinct phalanges: proximal, middle, distal".

The Hatter started clapping, "Well done, Martha, excellent job".

"You read that in a book," the Matron said, blinking at Martha.

"Yes, to pass my exams," Martha laughed, glancing at the Hatter, "Can't you see this is true?"

"I must go," the Matron shook her head, moving toward the door.

"Matron, if we can find the Doctor's watch then we can stop the Family," the Hatter stepped forward, making the Matron pause and look at her, "Please".

"Those boys are going to fight," the Matron shook her head, looking back at the two women, "I might not be a Time Lady or a doctor, but I'm still their nurse. They need me," she began to walk away but the Hatter called her back.

"You right…Joan," the Hatter nodded, looking slightly sick as she thought about what those poor boys would be going through, "And they do need you, take care of them, please. They're going to need everything you can give them tonight. Good luck".

"Thank you," Joan nodded, walking out.

The Hatter sighed, taking her hat off and ran a hand through her hair before turning to Martha, "We need to find that watch. As soon as possible, I can't stand the thought of those boys being forced to fight for something that they have no reason to fight for".

"Right," Martha nodded, "I'll stay here and keep looking, you go and help down stairs".

"Oh no, not this again, Martha," the Hatter groaned, opening her mouth but being cut off.

"You're a doctor, Hatter," Martha shook her head forcefully, "You have more of a chances of helping those kids then Redfern and I could ever do. I'll look for the watch, you focus on everything else. You may be many things, Hatter, but you can't be in two places at once".

"Well," the Hatter smiled slightly, "If you think about it, I'm already in nine different places as we speak, not to mention my future self's. Hopefully I have a future self".

Martha shook her head, "You are impossible".

"So I've been told," the Hatter grinned, "Alright, we'll do it your way, again. The Family are willing to do anything to find that watch, the watch will be easier to get then me so they'll be focussing on it. Be careful".

"I will," Martha nodded, watching as the Hatter hurried out of the room and down the hallway before going back to searching.

…

The Hatter walked down stairs and into the entrance hall were Joan was preparing some medical equipment. As soon as she looked up and saw the Hatter, she gathered her things and hurried away. The Hatter sighed, knowing that Joan was need time to herself to think about what she had been told, sadly, she doubted Joan would get much time to herself.

John walked in with two boys following him, "You're with Armitage and Thwaites," he told them, glancing over to the bottom of the stairs were he spotted the Hatter, "They know the drill," the boys nodded and walked away, the Hatter walked over to him, "Ariana," she forced herself not to flinch, she hated herself for lying to him, "It's not safe".

"Yes," she nodded, "But I won't just stand by and do nothing while those boys are fighting for something that has nothing to do with them. Besides, you saw and heard everything at the dance. You know that I can take care of myself".

John looked at her sharply, "Yes, but…" he trailed off, glancing away.

"You didn't won't to believe it," the Hatter smiled sadly at him, "I understand, John, I spent five years believing that I was human," his eyes widened as he looked at her, "Oh yeah, I had an entire life. I had a house, a job," she laughed, "I was a doctor, maybe that was my way of trying to tell me about my past. I even had a boyfriend, well, I still do. I never went back and broke up with him," she sighed, "When this is over, that's what I'm going to do. Everyone deserves to know the truth, even if it will break his heart".

"How did you…" he shook his head and continued, "How did you realise that you were…you".

The Hatter smiled, "The Doctor found me. I used to have dreams like you, dreams that were really memories. I heard something and I followed after the sound and there he was with his companion at the time. He saw my own fob watch and managed to get me to open it and…" she gestured to herself, smiling, "And here I am. Two hearts and all".

"I'm sorry, I don't believe any of this," John shook his head, ignoring the feeling in his heart that she was telling the truth, "I can't. I don't know why you insist on this story," he shook his head, looking confused.

"Alright," she nodded, "So tell me, John Smith, tell me about where you grew up. Please".

John eyed her before speaking, "Well, Nottingham lies on the River Leen, its southern boundary following the course of the River Trent which flows from Stoke to the Humber".

"That sounds like an encyclopaedia," the Hatter smiled gently at him, hoping that doing this might spark some of the Doctor in him, even if he didn't believe her, "Tell me about where you lived?"

"Broadmoor Street," John answered, "Adjacent to Hotley Terrace in the district of Radford Parade".

"Those are all facts, John," the Hatter told him gently, placing a hand on his arm, "What about when you were a child? Where did you play? Tell me about the first girl you had a crush on, about the old women or man down the street who frightened you. All those secret little places…dens and hideaways that only a child knows?" she grasped his arm a little tighter, "Please, John, tell me everything".

"How can you think that I'm not real?" John leaned closer to her, the Hatter stopped herself from saying the same thing back, "When I kissed you, was that a lie?"

The Hatter closed her eyes, "Of course it wasn't".

"But this Doctor sounds like some…some romantic lost prince," John frowned, the Hatter laughed softly.

"Hardly, John," she shook her head.

"Is that what you would rather have?" John asked, the Hatter shook her head, "Am I not enough?"

"No," she shook her head, putting a hand on his cheek, "Never think that. I like you for you, John. When I look at you, I don't see the Doctor, I see you for you. Yes, you look like him and at times you have even said something he would say, but I see _you_. Not _him_".

John stared at her, trying to look away from those bright green eyes, "I've…I've got to go".

"John, these are boys," the Hatter said, pleading with him, "Only children. I know you, John Smith; you wouldn't want them to fight, never mind the Doctor. The John Smith that I was getting to know, knows how wrong this all is, right?" she looked him in his eyes, searching them, "You understand, you know this is wrong. Please…I…" she inhaled deeply, looking at him, "I care very deeply, John Smith".

John's eyes softened as he leaned his forehead against hers when the headmaster's voice called from the next room, "Mr Smith, if you please!"

"What choice do I have?" he asked.

"There's always a choice," she shook her head, John leaned forward and kissed her deeply before running off toward the headmaster, "Always," she murmured, sighing.

….

The Hatter, Martha, and Joan stood by the widow, looking out into the courtyard were all of the boys were holding guns, watching the main door. The Hatter was running a hand through her hair, desperately trying to think of a way to stop all of this madness while Martha looked in between her friend and what was about to happening outside.

"Stand to!" the headmaster ordered as the scarecrows and who knows what else pounded on the doors, "At post!" everyone, including John aimed their guns, the Hatter forced herself to watch.

"Enemy approaching, sir," one of the boy's announced.

Everyone watched, ready to fire as they watched the wooden bar across the doors began to crack as it was pounded against. But the Hatter wasn't looking at the doors; she was focused on the terrified faces on each boy, watching as tears rolled down some of their facieses, gripping the guns tightly. It was wrong, so very, very wrong.

"Steady!" the headmaster called to them, "Find a fighting point," the wooden bar couldn't take it anymore and it cracked, right down the middle, allowing the scarecrows entrance, "Fire!"

The boys began firing, hitting some of the scarecrows, coursing them to fall but only to be replaced by another. The Hatter's eyes flicked from the boys to John as he stood, aiming his gun, finger on the trigger, only….he wasn't firing. His eyes meet hers and he slowly lowered the gun, never looking away from her.

"Cease fire!" the headmaster shouted the moment the last scarecrow fell, joining it's fellows on the ground. He walked forward and looked down at the strew men, "They're strew. Like he said," he looked over his shoulder, "Strew!"

"Then no one is dead, sir?" Hutchinson asked, looking at John, "We killed no one?"

"Something you should all be please about," the Hatter said, walking outside, standing beside John while Martha and Joan watched from the widow, "Killing is never an option".

Everyone looked up as they heard footsteps approaching; the headmaster frowned in the direction before running back, standing behind the row of guns, "Stand to!" he shouted, as soon as Martha saw the little girl with the red blown appear, she dashed outside, "You child, come out of the way," the headmaster called to her, beckoning her in while the Hatter shook her head, "Come into the school. You don't know who's out there. It's the Cartwright girl, isn't it? Come here. Come to me".

"Mr Rocastle, please," Martha called, running outside, "Don't go near her".

"I agree," the Hatter nodded, "Don't make the same mistake twice".

"You were told to be quiet," the headmaster glared at both women.

"And you are a complete fool," the Hatter replied, "We're trying to help and all you are doing is getting yourself killed. Martha's right, that little girl is nothing more than a shell of the girl that she once was. She's a part of the Family now," she glanced over to Joan who had followed Martha, "Tell him, Matron".

"I think…I don't know," Joan sighed, shaking her head, "I think you should stay back, Headmaster".

"John, what say you?" the Hatter asked, looking at him.

"She was…she was with…with Baines in the village," John nodded his agreement, glancing at the Hatter who smiled at him.

"Mr Smith," the headmaster said, "I've seen many strange sights this night but there is no cause on God's Earth that would allow me to see this child in the field of battle, sir," he turned back to the little girl, holding out his hand, "Come with me".

"You're funny," the little girl remarked, the Hatter sighed, waiting.

"That's right. Now take my hand".

"So funny," the little girl pulled out a gun and shot the headmaster, disintegrating him, she looked at all of the boys who stared at her, horrified "Now who's going to shoot me? Any of you? _Really_?"

"Put down your guns," John ordered the boys, lowering his own gun as the Hatter nodded.

"But sir, the Headmaster…" Hutchinson started.

"I'll not see this happen," John shook his head, cutting the boy off, "Not anymore. You will retreat…in an orderly fashion back through the school. Hutchinson, lead the way".

"But sir…" Hutchinson tried to argue.

"I said, lead the way," John cut him off once more, taking the Hatter's hand.

Baines walked into the courtyard, "Go on then, run!" he held his gun up and fired, making all of the boys run off in a made panic.

"Hop to it!" the Hatter shouted, grabbing Martha's arm with her free one and pulling them both into the school, Joan following close behind.

….

The Hatter, Martha, John, and Joan managed to lead a group of boys out by a passage way in the stables, the Hatter tried not to think about what was happening to the unlucky boys who were still running for the lives through the school, being chased by the scarecrows.

"Let's go!" John shouted, ushering the kids through the door.

"Quickly does it!" the Hatter shouted, "There's good lads".

"Don't go to the village!" Martha added, shouting after them, "It's not safe".

"And you, ladies!" John called to the three women.

"Not until we get the boys out!" Joan said, saying exactly what the Hatter was about to say.

John helped until all of the boys had managed to escape, running out side he paused, coming back in, "Now I insist. The three of you just go. If there are any more boys inside, I'll find them…" he opened the door to find scarecrows on the other side, slamming it shut, locking it, "I think…retreat".

He ran back toward the three women, grabbing the Hatter's hand as he passed her, leading them out.

…

Martha, John, Joan, and the Hatter crept along the edge of the woods, close to the school when they heard Clarke calling out in a sing-song voice, "Doctor!" he shouted, "Hatter!"

They looked at each other before crouching down so they could see Clarke standing in front of the TARDIS with two scarecrows on either side of him. The Hatter gasped when she saw the TARDIS, "Oh, please tell me that I'm dreaming," she groaned, "I swear, if they even so much as scratch her…" she trailed off, mumbling darkly, Martha gave her a surprised look.

"Come back, Doctor, Hatter!" Clarke called, "Come home. Come and claim your prize".

Baines, Jenny, and the little girl joined Clarke, "Out you come, Doctor!" Baines called, "There's a good boy. Come to the Family".

"Time to end it now!" Jenny added, calling into the night.

Martha glanced at John, seeing him staring at the TARDIS, "You recognize it, don't you?" she whispered to him.

"Come out, Doctor, Hatter!" Jenny called again, "Come to us!"

"I've never seen it before in my life," John breathed.

"Do you by any chances remember its name?" the Hatter asked him gently, placing a hand on his arm, John shook his head, "You wrote about it in your journal. You called it the blue box".

"I'm not…" John shook his head frantically, "I'm John Smith," his voice broke slightly, the Hatter made him look at her, "That's all I want to be. John Smith, with his life…and his job…and…" he looked at the Hatter in a way that broke her hearts, "…and his love. Why can't I be John Smith? Isn't he a good man".

"One of the best," the Hatter smiled, blinking back tears, "Oh, my poor darling".

"Why can't I stay?"

The Hatter opened her mouth but no words came out so Martha said for her, "Because we need the Doctor".

"So what am I then, nothing?" John glared at Martha, sounding angry, "I'm just a story".

He stood and quickly ran off, the Hatter exchanged looks with Martha before chasing after him. Martha blinked back tears of her own, understanding how hard it must be to see John Smith so upset before pushing herself up and going after them, Joan following.

_**I really love being on school holidays, so much more time to write, sadly I only have a week left but I always try to writ after school, if I don't have homework that is. I just had to have the Hatter back in her normal clothing, I couldn't see her going after the Family in a dress and she did mention in the past that she didn't like dressing up. I can't believe we've hit forty reviews, I really can't. When I first started this I didn't think I would get one but here we are. A big thank you to everyone who has reviewed for that. Hope you liked it :)**_


	20. Chapter 20 The Family of Blood part 2

_**Family of Blood, part 2**_

Martha, Joan, John, and the Hatter ran down a country road, pausing for a moment to try and get there bearings. John was still upset about being accused of being the Doctor but the Hatter had managed to calm him down slightly.

"This way," Joan called to them, "I think I know somewhere we can hide".

"We've got to keep going," John frowned, shaking his head at her.

"Just listen to me for once," Joan glared at him before shaking herself, Martha and the Hatter exchanged looks, "Follow me," she tuned and lead them down another road, stopping outside a dark house, county house, "Here we are. It should be empty," she took deep breaths, the Hatter looked at her in concerned, "Oh, it's a long time since I've run that far".

The Hatter took a deep breath in, smiling, "Oh, it's good to finely be able to breathe without that stupid corset. I haven't had to wear one sense the Time War, not mention my entire life before leaving Gallifray".

"I think you're missing the point, Hatter," Martha cut in, giving her an amused look, "Who lives here?"

"If I'm right, no one," Joan answered, walking in with the others following behind her as she looked around the small, country kitchen, a tea set still sitting on the table, "Hello?" she called, "No one home. We should be safe here".

"Whose house is it, though?" Martha asked, the Hatter pulled out a chair from under the table and sat.

"Um, the Cartwrights," Joan replied, "That little girl at the school…she's Lucy Cartwright, or she's taken Lucy Cartwright's form. If she came home this afternoon and if the parents tried to stop their little girl, then they were vanished".

The Hatter sighed, leaning forward she place her hand on the teapot, "Stone cold," she glanced at the others, "Those poor parents, I know myself that if something like this had happened to my own children, I would have done anything to stop them. Any parent would".

"You have children?" Joan gasped, staring at the Time Lady.

"I _had_ four children, yes," the Hatter nodded, looking down, "A long time ago now. Still, once a mother, always a mother".

John sat down heavily beside the Hatter; luckily he hadn't heard a word of what the Hatter had said about being a mother, "I must go to them before anyone else dies".

"You can't, John, I'm sorry," the Hatter shook her head, putting her arm around him, "That's what they want you to do. Walking in there will simply be you walking into a trap".

Joan looked at Martha, "Martha, there must be something we can do".

"Not without the watch," Martha sighed, shaking her head sadly.

"You're this Doctor's Companion!" John snapped, glaring at Martha, "Can't you help? What exactly do you do for him? Why does he need you?"

"That's enough!" the Hatter suddenly stood, pointing at John, "No more shouting, no more accusing, no more…." She waved her hand in front of her, "Any of this. Martha is the Doctor's companion and I'm his best friend, we are trying to help you, John Smith".

John opened his mouth but he was cut off by a knock at the door, everyone looked toward it.

"What if it's them?" Joan asked, looking fearful.

"No, if it was them then we would know well before now," the Hatter shook her head, walking over to the door with Martha and opening it, finding Latimer standing there, "Timothy Latimer," she blinked, looking slightly surprised.

"I brought you this," Tim held out his hand, showing the Doctor's watch.

"_Hatter, Martha…._" The watch seemed to whisper to them.

The Hatter smiled, gently taking the watch from Tim and passed it to Martha who walked back inside the kitchen, holding the watch out for John, "Hold it".

"I won't," John shook his head, backing away.

"Please, just hold it," Martha tried again.

"It told me to find you," Tim told John, "It wants to be held".

"You've had this watch all this time?" Joan asked, looking at Tim, "Why didn't you return it?"

"Because it was waiting," Tim took a deep breath, glancing at the Hatter who nodded, giving the boy a smile, "And because I was scared of the Doctor".

"Why?" Joan frowned, looking confused while Martha, Timothy, and the Hatter exchanged a smile.

"Because…I've seen him," Tim looked back to the nurse, trying to think of the right words, "He's…like fire and ice and rage. He's like the night and the heart of the sun".

"Stop it," John whispered, moving backwards.

"He's ancient and forever," Tim continued, ignoring John, "He burns at the center of time and he can see the turn of the Universe".

"Stop it! I said stop it!"

"And he's wonderful," Tim finished.

"Oh, he is so much more than just wonderful," the Hatter smiled softly, "My best friend".

"I've still got this," Joan pulled out John's journal from her pocket, "The journal".

John glanced at her, shaking his head, "Those are just stories".

"Now we know that's not true," Joan sighed, shaking her head, glancing at the Hatter, "Perhaps there's something in here…"

Suddenly, there was an explosion outside and they rushed over to the windows, looking out, "What the hell?" Martha gasped, watching as it looked like meteorites were falling all over the village.

"They're destroying the village," the Hatter sighed, sinking back into her chair, looking grim, "They're trying to flush John and I out. They know that we won't be able to stand by and see them kill more people".

"Watch…" John said softly, picking it up.

"_Come closer_…" the watched whispered.

"Can you hear it?" Tim asked John, eyeing him.

"_Closer,_" it called, "_Closer_".

"I think he's asleep," John muttered, staring down at the watch in his hands, listening, "Waiting to awaken".

"Why did it speak to me?" Tim questioned.

The Hatter opened her mouth to explain but was cut off, "Low-level telepathic field," John explained, sounding like the Doctor, "You were born with it. Just an extra synaptic engram causing…" he inhaled deeply, looking terrified, voice cracking as he spoke, "Is that how he talks?"

"That's him!" Martha grinned, looking excited as the Hatter moved forward, putting her arms around John, "All you have to do is open it and he's back".

John glared at her, shaking his head as he looked from the Hatter to Martha, "You knew this all along and yet you…you watched while I made a fool of myself…"

"I didn't know how to stop you," Martha stepped forward, the Hatter looked down, stepping away from John, "He gave me a list of things to watch out for but that wasn't included".

"Falling in love?" John gasped, staring at both women, looking alarmed by what he was being told, "That didn't even occur to him?"

"No," Martha shook her head, "Because he's already madly in love with the Hatter".

"Martha," the Hatter looked at her sharply, "I told you before, I will not believe that the Doctor is in love me until he tells me himself".

"Hatter, I've seen the way he looks at you," Martha protested, "When you walked in a room, his entire face would light up. When you laughed and joked with each other, he looked happier then I have seen him. If that's not love, I don't what is".

"And I say that you have read too many romance novels," the Hatter smiled slightly but it didn't last long.

"He gave me his love and now…." John shook his head, looking close to breaking down completely, "Now…just expects me to die?"

The Hatter looked down as there was another explosions from outside.

"It was always going to end, though!" Martha tried to explain, "The Doctor said the Family's got a limited lifespan. That's why they need to consume a Time Lord. Otherwise, three months and they die. Like mayflies, he said".

"So your jobs were to execute me?" John gasped, looking in-between Martha and the Hatter.

The Hatter shook her head, looking up, "My job was to wait for the Doctor to come back, stay in London and wait for that beautiful blue box to turn up. Then we would carry on, travelling the Universe, saving lives and planets were ever we go".

There was another explosion outside, this one louder then the others.

"People are dying out there!" Martha cried, desperately, "They need him…we need," she gestured to the Hatter and herself, "'Cos you're got no idea what he's like. I've only just met him. Only just meet them both. It wasn't even that long ago, but he is everything…"

"He's everything to us," the Hatter cut in, looking deeply into John's eyes, "I have known that mad, lunatic of a man since I was twenty. He taught me that there is more to life then books, more to life than just doing what someone tells you to do. He was there for me when I thought I couldn't go on. I have seen the best and the worst of that man he has seen the best and worst of me. I have always loved him and I have been such an idiot not to realise sooner, I really hope he won't remember this. Knowing my luck, he will," she sighed, looking John in his eyes, "And I love you for you, do you see how confusing and hard this all is?"

The house suddenly gave a jolt as another explosion hit close by.

"It's getting closer," Tim looked toward the window, looking shaken.

"I should have thought of it before," John suddenly said, looking down at the watch, "I can give them this. Just the watch. Then they can leave and I can stay as I am!"

"You can't, John," the Hatter shook her head, looking heartbroken, "I'm sorry but you simply can't".

"If they want the Doctor, they can have him".

"He'll never let you do it," Martha shook her head.

"If they get what they want, then…then…"

"The it all end in destruction," the Hatter said softly but everyone could hear her, Joan looked up from where she was, flickering through John's journal, "Because the Family would live forever, John. Breeding and conquering. A war across the stars….for every child," she walked closer to John, glancing at Martha, blinking back tears as she noticed he was doing the same, "Martha, please take Timothy and Joan outside so John and I can talk privately. Please".

"Yeah, of course," Martha nodded, leading Joan and Tim out, closing the door a moment later. The Hatter rushed forward and pulled John into a tight hug as he broke down, sobbing into her neck. It wasn't long before the Hatter started crying, too.

….

John and the Hatter sat beside each other in front of the fireplace; John stared down at the watch in his hand.

"I wish I could do this for you, John," the Hatter said softly, watching him, "Sadly, we're in the same boat. The Family wants me just as much as they want you. Sometimes being a Time Lady really isn't worth it".

"You said that you were a human for five years," John said, sounding as if his voice was about to crack, looking at her, "You could do that again. We could be together then, human".

"I wish it was that simple," she sighed, looking down, "But it's not. A Time Lord has many duties, John, but the most important one is protecting the Universe. Also, if I became a human, I would forget everything. I would forget my family, I would forget my own children, John. I love you but I couldn't do that, not to their memories".

The Hatter reached out and covered his hand with the watch in it, both gasping as a vision of what could be if the Hatter was human. Tears started rolling down her face as she saw flashes of their wedding, the birth of their first child, walking through a park with their three children, growing old together, and lastly, dying a peaceful together.

"Did you see?" John gasped, looking at her.

"A Time Lord has such adventures," the Hatter smiled, wiping a tear away, swallowing hard, "But we could never have that, my dear. No matter how much I wish differently".

"And yet I could," John looked back down at the watch, looking torn.

"Words can only say so much," the Hatter said after a moment, making John look at her, "But actions are so much more powerful. You have seen the life that we could lead, why don't I show you the life that the Doctor has had through my own memories?"

"What do you mean?" John blinked, looking confused.

"Time Lords are telepathic," she explained, smiling slightly, "We can talk to each other with our minds. We can also use our abilities on humans. It's a lot harder but I was lucky enough to be born with a higher then avenge telepathic ability, well, maybe not lucky. Anyway, I can show you some of my memories of the Doctor, perhaps it will help you".

John thought for a moment, "What…what would I have to do?"

"Don't worry, I wouldn't be doing this if there was a chance of hurting you," she smiled reassuring at him, "I'm just going to place my fingers on your temples, I want you to clear your mind and try not to think. I will take you through a few memories, it'll be from third person and it will be as if were ghost. No one but us can see each other but we can see everything else. Understand?"

"Yes," John breathed, nodding.

The Hatter gently placed two fingers on his temples, closing her eyes and focused, "Breathe deeply, John. Just focus on my voice".

John did as he was told, closing his eyes and forced himself to clear his mind.

"**Auntie Hatter, please come with us," young Susan begged, standing beside what would come to be the Doctor's TARDIS. He and Susan were about to leave and the Hatter had come see them off.**

**The Hatter, much older now with black hair flecked with grey and wrinkles around her eyes, smiled, leaning down, "Now, now, Susan, my dear. Your grandfather is going to show you some amazon things, don't spend your time troubling yourself with my problems".**

"**Troubles?" both Time Ladies turned to see the Doctor nearing them, stopping when he reached them. He too was starting to show his age with grey hair and wrinkles, "My dear, Hatter, what could possibly be troubling you?"**

"**Just…" she trailed off before an idea popped into her head, "Oh, I've just been working on something that has been pushing me to my very limit, not to worry, though. Shouldn't be too long before I've finished it".**

**The Doctor nodded, understanding very well how hard she worked, "Susan, child, wait for me inside," they watched as Susan entered the TARDIS before looking at each other, "Please come with us, Hatter".**

"**I can't, Doctor," she sighed, looking down, unconsciously rubbing her arm were a large bruise was beginning to form under the sleave of her gown, "I have things I have to do before I can leave. My children are still in school and unlike you, I still have a husband".**

"**Hmm," he nodded, not looking too pleased when she mentioned her husband but didn't comment on it, "We had best be going, my dear, otherwise someone might raise the alarm".**

"**I wish you all the luck in the Universe, Doctor," the Hatter smiled, leaning up on her tippy toes to kiss his cheek, "And take good care of that girl, she's fare to curies for her own good, then again, so was I when I was her age," she paused a moment, taking a silver pendent from around her neck and put it around his, tucking it out of sight under his waist coat, "Keep it. This way, as long as you have that, I'll always be with you".**

"**Thank you," he nodded his head at her, kissing her cheek before following after his granddaughter, closing the door behind him. A moment later there was a load whizzing sound and the TARDIS** **dematerialized.**

"**Don't forget to turn the brakes off!" the Hatter shouted, laughing slightly before turning away, walking back toward the main city.**

The memory stopped and changed into another.

**The Doctor and the Hatter worked inside the TARDIS at Unite H.Q, singing, "I don't want to set the world on fire!" suddenly, there was a loud bang and the TARDIS door burst open, smoke started bellowing out as the Hatter rushed out, coughing.**

"**I told you not to touch it," she coughed, hunched over. She had black hair with a fringe, hazily eyes, and was dressed in a black and white shirt, black dress pants, black flats, and a black, Robin Hood style hat with feathers on the side.**

**A moment later the Doctor came out, coughing as he walked over to one of lab benchers, holding the dematerialisation mechanism. He placed the device on a three legged piece of equipment, humming, "Now, now, Hatter," he smiled over to her, "Come over here and help me".**

**The Hatter sighed, joining him, "I'll help you if you stop humming. I can't stand humming. I can deal with singing, I even enjoy signing but humming and whistling is just annoying".**

"**You used to enjoy humming and whistling in you last body," he remarked.**

"**And you used to play the recorder, things change, Doctor dear".**

**There was a knock at the door, "Not today, thank you," the Doctor called, not looking up.**

**The Hatter looked up and noticed a young women with blonde hair walk in, carrying a file in her hand, "Hello," she smiled at the other women before going back to helping the Doctor.**

"**Doctor, Hatter, I, er…" the women began.**

"**I said not today, thank you," was the reply from the Doctor.**

"**Miss Grant, isn't it?" the Hatter asked but before she could say more, the Doctor switched the device on and it fuzzed, more smoke appeared causing both Time Lords to cough.**

"**On, no," the Doctor groaned, coughing.**

"**You just couldn't wait," the Hatter rolled her watering eyes, turning away, coughing.**

**Miss Grant grabbed a fire extinguisher and used it on the device, "Oh, no!" both Time Lords cried loudly this time.**

"**It's alright," Miss Grant told them, mistaking what they meant, "I've dealt with it".**

"**Dealt with it?" the Doctor repented, staring at the young women, "You've ruined it!"**

"**Doctor, calm down," the Hatter sighed, "It's not her fault. We should have explained".**

"**Three months delicate work and now look at it," he picked the device up and examined it before glaring at Miss Grant, "You ham…" **

"**That enough!" the Hatter shouted, covering the Doctor's mouth before he could finish, turning to Miss Grant who looked extremely confused, "Let me explain, Miss Grant…."**

The memory changed again.

**The Doctor ran a cleaning cloth over the TARDIS console, pausing for a moment to give a spot a slightly harder scrub while the Hatter leaned against the wall, watching him with a found look. She was dressed in blue jeans, bright orange ruffled shirt with an orange hat, convers's, blonde hair, and bright blue eyes.**

**Tegan walked in, wearing a red checked dress and red heels, "Finished?" she asked the Doctor.**

"**Yes," he smiled, glancing over to her, "And it looks rather splendid, doesn't it?"**

"**If you don't say so yourself," the Hatter smiled, walking over to him.**

"**Very funny, Hatter," the Doctor shook his head but couldn't help himself from smiling.**

"**But will the TARDIS work properly?" Tegan asked, eyeing the console.**

"**Of course, once everything's run in".**

"**Doctor, this is a Type 40 TARDIS," the Hatter cut in, looking amused, "I don't think you can get anymore 'run in' as you put it".**

"**Don't listen to her, old girl," the Doctor patted the console, "She's just upset because her TADISE is off being repaired".**

**The Hatter shook her head, "Yes, I admit that I miss my TARDIS but I'm not upset, actually, I'm enjoying travelling with you, it take my mind off things…" she trailed off, closing her eyes painfully as she tried not to think of April Jones, Katie Harrison, and Michael Andrew's, her last companions.**

**Tegan cleared her throat, seeing how upset the Time Lady looked, "Didn't you repair everything?"**

"**Well," the Doctor forced himself to look away from the Hatter, feeling slightly guilty for teasing her, "The TARDIS is more than a machine, Tegan. It's like a person. It needs coaxing, persuading, encouraging".**

**Tegan crossed her arms, "You mean it's just as unreliable".**

**The Hatter laughed as the Doctor pointed his finger at his companion, "You have little faith, Tegan".**

"**Do you blame me?"**

"**No," the Hatter smiled at the other women, "In fact, I'm inclined to agree with you".**

After all of the memories faded, John found himself staring at the Hatter, looking slightly stunned as the Hatter's eyes flicked open and she smiled at him, moving backwards slightly, taking her fingers away from his temples.

"Did you see?" she asked gently, "Do you understand why everyone wants the Doctor back?"

"He's…" John shook his head, "Martha was right, he does care very deeply for you".

The Hatter blinked, not expecting that, "Perhaps".

"No, he does," John said slightly more forceful, taking the Hatter by surprise once again; "I saw the way he looked after you when your children died. The way he sat by your bed every night, waking you when you had nightmares. He treated you the same way I would and that is how I know that he loves you".

"Or maybe that's just what best friends do," the Hatter shrugged, sighing, "But this isn't about me, it's about you. I won't force you to do this, John. I care to deeply to do that to you. All I ask is that you think about what I showed you think about what the Doctor means to so many people in the Universe".

John was quite for a long time, thinking everything over very careful before meeting the Hatter's eyes, "I've decided…"

….

"We'll blast them into dust, fuse the dust into glass, the shatter them all over again!" Baines shouted gleefully, standing in his ship with the rest of the Family, watching all of their destruction on a screen. Behind them, there was a slight metal twang and the Family turned to see John, carrying the limp body of the Hatter in his arms, sobbing.

"Just…" John clumsily fell to the side, clutching the women tightly to his chest as he hit the buttons on the wall, "Just stop the bombardment. That's all I'm asking. I'll do anything you want, just stop".

"Say please," Baines ordered, eyeing the man.

"Please".

Jenny and Baines turned the switch for the guns, making the ship stop firing, "Wait a minute…" Jenny inhaled deeply, "Still human," she frowned, looking at the Hatter, "And so is she".

Baines, Lucy, and Clarke all inhaled deeply, "Impossible," Baines growled, "I can't smell a trace of Time Lady on her. Explain!" he shouted at John who gasped, shriving.

"She…she tried to stop me coming," he gasped, almost whimpering from fear, he gently laid the Hatter down on the floor, shifting her head to the side to show blood, lots of blood, "I…" he started crying, "I begged her to move but she wouldn't, even after she told me that she wouldn't force me. I shoved her and….and…" he gasped, "She hit her head on the corner of the stone wall. Matron…she said that she died instantly…and that there wasn't anything she could do to help".

John broke down completely and Jenny shoved him out of her way, moving toward the body and scanned it, "He's right," she nodded, glaring at John as she stood, joining her Family, "The scan can't detect any heart beats or any signs of life. She's defiantly dead".

Baines shook his head, "No matter, we only need one Time Lord to make us immortal".

John managed to gather himself, "Now I can't," he took a deep breath, continuing, "I can't pretend to understand, not for a second, but I want you to know that I'm innocent in all this. He made me John Smith. It's not like I had any control over it…" he spread his hand out and hit some buttons, fumbling with them.

"He didn't just make himself human, he made himself an idiot," Jenny remarked, eyeing John in slight disgust.

"Same thing, isn't it?" Baines smirked, watching John.

"I don't care about this Doctor and your Family," John said, stepped toward them, "I just want you to go. So, I've made my choice," he held out the watch, "You can have him. Just take it, please! Take him away".

"At last," Baines took the watch; examining it before grabbing John's lapels with his free hand, "Don't think that saved your life…" he shoved John into the wall, causing him to hit more buttons, turning back to the Family, "Family of Mine, now we shall have the lives of a Time Lord!" he opened the watch, each inhaling deeply…

"It's empty!" he shut the watch and tuned to John.

"Well, where's it gone?" John gasped.

"You tell me," Baines chucked the watch and it was snatched out of the air.

"Did you honestly think that I would be killed by simply hitting my head?" the Hatter asked, sitting up as if nothing had happened, breathing slightly deeper then she usually would, the Doctor grabbed her hand and pulled her up, smirking, "I'm disappointed".

"How…" Jenny began but the Hatter cut her off.

"I always have handy things in my pockets and guess what?" the Hatter grinned, pulling out a white box from her pocket, "I just so happened to have a makeup set. Now, I don't wear makeup myself but you never know when it might come in handy. Simple enough to make fake blood not to mention a fake wound. If you had checked then you would have noticed. As for stopping my breathing and my heats, I held my breath and I slowed my heats down to a pace that would register lifeless. And then the Doctor simply had to feed you the story of my death," she looked at him, smiling, "Nice work, by the way".

"Thank you," he grinned, turning back to the Family, "As for the Time Lord smell, you've been fooled by a simple olfactory misdirection. Little bit like ventriloquism of the nose. It's an elementary trick in certain parts of the galaxy. But it has got to be said…" he pulled his glasses out and put them on, "I don't like the look of that hydroconmeter, Hatter?"

"Yes," the Hatter nodded, looking around, "It seems to be indicating that you have got energy feedback all the way through the retrostabilisers, feeding back to the primary converter…"

"Ah…" the Doctor hissed through his teeth, "'Cos if there's one thing you shouldn't have done, you shouldn't have let me press all those buttons. But, in fairness, we will give you a word of advice…run," he grabbed the Hatter's hand, running out as a red light started flashing, sirens going off.

"Get out!" Baines shouted, chasing after them, "Get out!"

The Family ran out of the ship, across the field as the Doctor and the Hatter bolted ahead, when suddenly, the ship exploded from behind, knocking them all to the ground. When the Family looked up, the Doctor and the Hatter were standing above them, staring down at them.

….

"I tried to warn them," the Hatter sighed, leaning against the side of the TARDIS after telling Martha all about what she and the Doctor had done to the Family while they waited for him to return from talking to Joan. Locking the Father in unbreakable chains, forcing the Mother into the event horizon of a collapsing galaxy, imprisoning the Sister inside ever mirror, and suspending the Brother in time to watch over the fields as a scarecrow.

"What?" Martha blinked, "After they killed people in front of you, you still gave them the chance to leave?"

"I had to, Martha," the Hatter said, "I had to give them the chances to stop, it's too bad that no one ever takes that offer. One day they will".

"Alright," both women looked toward the Doctor as he walked toward them, "Melto Bene!"

"How was she?" the Hatter asked, referring to Joan.

"Time we moved on," he replied, making the Hatter sighing, feeling guilty once more.

"If you want," Martha spoke up, "I could go and…"

"Time we moved on".

"Poor Joan," the Hatter sighed, making the others look at her, "I really hope she can find herself a good man. She deserves it".

"What do you mean?" Martha asked.

"Her husband died in the war," the Hatter replied sadly, both the Doctor and Martha blinked in surprise, "Oh come on, you didn't think I would simply let the look on her face when she saw those boys learning to fight go, did you? I talked to her earlier and she told me everything. I tried to get her to come with us, too, but she refused".

"So here we are then," Martha said after a brief pause.

"There we are then, yes," the Doctor nodded, glancing at them both with a smile, "And I never said thanks for looking after me," he pulled them both into a tight hug, making the Hatter laugh.

"Doctor, Hatter, Martha!" Timothy called, breaking them apart as he ran up to them.

"Tim-Timothy-Timber," the Doctor grinned, looking at the young boy.

"Or as some people would say," the Hatter cut in, giving the Doctor an amused look, "Timothy".

"I just wanted to say goodbye," Tim told them, "And thank you, because I've seen the future and I now know what must be done. It's coming, isn't it? The biggest war ever".

"You don't have to fight," the Hatter told him seriously, "In fact, I would strongly advice against it".

"I think we do," Tim shook his head.

"You could get hurt," Martha said.

"Well, so could you, travelling around with him," Tim nodded to the Doctor, glancing at the Hatter, "And so could you, but it's not going to stop you".

"Tim," the Doctor said, "I'd be honoured if you'd take this," he tossed him his fob watch.

"I can't hear anything," Tim said, catching it.

"No, it's just a watch now," the Hatter smiled, "But keep it with you, for good luck," she stepped forward and pulled him into a hug, kissing his cheek before stepping back, "Be careful, Timothy. I expect great things for you," she winked, "But no presser".

Tim Laughed as it was Martha's turn to hug him, "Look after yourself," kissing his cheek and following after the Hatter into the TARDIS.

"You'll like this bit," the Doctor nodded to him, grinning before stepping inside.

A moment later the TARDIS dematerialized, Tim watched, smiling before walking back towards the school.

….

The Doctor, the Hatter, and Martha stood off to the side, watching the Remembrance Ceremony for Would War's. Off to the side, a female vicar stood, reading to a group of men, one in a wheelchair who was holding an old pocket watch caught there eye. The Hatter couldn't help but smile softly when she notice how many medals he had.

"'...they mingle not with laughing comrades again; They sit no more at familiar tables of home; They have no lot in our labour of the day-time; They sleep beyond England's foam. They went with songs to the battle; they were young, straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow. They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted…'"

Tim looked over to see them standing there, the Hatter winked at him with a poppy pined to her hat while Martha pined one to the Doctor's lapel. Time smiled at them, nodding before turning back to the vicar.

"'…they fell with their faces to the foe. They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old, age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them'".

Tim looked down to his hand, looking at the watch in his hands as he blinked back tears, remembering his fallen friends.

…

"Did you know?" Martha asked, looking at the Time Lady as she leant against the console in the TARDIS, discussing Timothy.

"Did I know what, Martha Jones?" the Hatter questioned, smiling pleasantly as the Doctor stood beside her, "I'm afraid that I have no idea what you are talking about but I would be lying if I said I didn't find it amusing".

"Did you know that Timothy would become a war hero?" Martha asked again.

"Maybe," she shrugged, grinning at the annoyed look on Martha's face, "Alright. I admit that I might have had some knowledge," Martha raised her eyebrows, "Okay, maybe a lot. It's not my fault that I like reading human newspapers and happened to come across an article about Timothy Latimer. Besides, I never thought I would be the man. I wouldn't have read it".

"And finely, she admits it," Martha shook her head, "I'm going to bed, night," she walked out of the console room before the Hatter could say anything.

"I do so enjoy teasing, Martha," the Hatter remarked, frowning as she looked at the Doctor, "Are you alright? You've been very quiet. Should I be worried?"

"Hmm?" he blinked, looking up, "What happened to Martha?"

"She went to bed," the Hatter shrugged, looking at him concerned, "Doctor, you're really starting to worry me".

"I found this," he pulled from his pocket the sketch of the Hatter that John Smith had drawn, "I couldn't remember very much until I found that…."

"And it sparked your memories," she finished, mouth suddenly very dry, "How…how much do you remember?"

"All of it," he said, looking at her.

"Are you sure?"

The Doctor nodded, "Did….did you mean what you said about….about being in love with me?"

The Hatter's eyes widened, and she turned away, walking around the other side of the console but he followed her, "I don't know what you're talking about, Doctor".

"Hatter," he said, grabbing her arms and pulling her around to face him, "I need to know. Please, did you mean it?"

The Hatter tried to look away but couldn't, sighing, "You were never supposed to know," she said softly, "I didn't even know until Martha tricked me into saying it".

"It's true?" the Doctor asked, trying not to sound as hopeful as he really was, his hearts were beating madly in his chest.

"Yes," she said so quietly that the Doctor almost missed it, "I think I've been in love with you much longer than I ever realised. I mean, I always had a bit of a crush on you in school; I knew I could never do anything about that. I was already promised to another and I knew that my family could never break that promise. Also, I didn't want to reunion our friendship, too late for that now".

"But what if I felt the same way?" the Doctor asked swallowing hard, the Hatter's snapped to his. He had dreamed of this moment for centuries, thought about everything he would say.

"Don't make jokes, Doctor," she sighed, looking down, "I'm not exactly in the joking mood".

"I'm not joking, I could never joke about something like this," he shook his head, gently putting a finger under her chin to bring her face back up, "I love you more than anything in the Universe, I've always have. I planned on telling you at your gradation ball….but you told me about your parent's marriage plans. I knew that I could never come in the way of them, your father had already warned me and I didn't need even more reason for them to hate me. They would never let us see each other again if I had of told you".

The Hatter blinked, staring at him, "I always wondered why you were so upset when I told you. I shrugged it off as you being upset about not running away together".

"I was upset about that," the Doctor nodded, "But I was more upset about your marriage. I had heard rumours that your future husband hand a nasty temper, I hated the thought of you being with anyone else, especially someone like him".

"Nasty temper, alright," she nodded before shaking her head, looking at the Doctor, "But why did you never say anything before?"

"I was terrified you might not feel the same way," he admitted, they both looked at each other before laughing.

"It all makes sense now," the Hatter laughed softly; "We truly have been foolish, haven't we? To terrified by what might be to ever think about what could be. Everyone always told me that you had feelings for me but I shrugged it off, even your wife corned me and demanded to know what our friendship was before your wedding. She always hated me, claimed that I had lied to her and that I was the reason why your marriage fell apart. It didn't help that our Aunt encouraged her".

"Our marriage fell apart because she was selfish and jealous," the Doctor said firmly, leaning his forehead against the Hatters, both closing their eyes, "Where do we go from here?"

"Well," the Hatter said, sounding thoughtful, "We could ignore this…" the Doctor suddenly kissed her, cutting her off, a moment later they broke apart, "Okay, so ignoring this is off the table then," the Doctor grinned, looking extremely happy, "We could…I guess…we could try and be…" she trailed off before it come to her, "Ah, yes, human's call it boyfriend and girlfriend, we could try that…"

"Anything for you, my love," the Doctor grinned so broadly that it hurt before kissing her deeply, both happier then they had ever been.

_**Finely we have…Datter! Or maybe something else, I don't know, I couldn't think of another word for Doctor/Hatter. You have no idea how long I've been wanting to wright this but I was going to put this off until we have the 11 Doctor, I'm glad I didn't. What did you think of showing John Smith the Hatter's memories of the Doctor? By the way, the second memory is from 'Terror of the Autons,' with the third Doctor and the third is from 'The five Doctor'. I'm thinking of doing the 'The five Doctor's and the five Hatter's,' that could be interesting, hmm. Anyway, I hope you liked it, please review :)**_


	21. Chapter 21 Blink part 1

_**Blink part 1.**_

"All I'm saying, Doctor, is that I think we should keep the two of us being a couple now….well, under our hats," the Hatter whispered, glancing around the console room to make sure Martha didn't come in while they were talking.

"Not even Martha?" the Doctor whispered back, whining, "I thought the two of you were friends".

"And we are," she nodded, "I just think that for the moment we should keep it between us. Martha will understand, hopefully. Besides, I don't won't Martha to feel like the third wheel around here, she has every right to know, yes, but I just don't won't her to feel uncomfortable".

"And she won't," the Doctor quickly said, "We both agreed to take things slow, no matter how much I wish to…"

"Mourning," Martha called brightly as she walked in; the Hatter turned bright red and quickly turned away from the Doctor.

"Mourning, Martha," the Doctor greeted, grinning at her as he noticed the Hatter's blush, not being able to stop himself from feeling slightly proud that he had caused it, "Sleep well?"

"Yeah," Martha nodded, looking much happier then she had while being in 1913, "Its great not having to get up at the crack of dawn to serve you breakfast".

The Doctor rubbed the back of his neck, awkwardly, "Oh, right, sorry about that".

The Hatter looked in between her to friends before clearing her throat, "So, anyone up for adventure or are we just going to stand around here all day in an awkward silence? I for one would much prefer an adventure".

"Right, yes!" the Doctor nodded, turning back to the console and began flying it through the Time Vortex, sending Martha crashing to the floor while the Hatter only just managed to grab the railing, "Let's see what we can find".

"In other words, let's see what we can find to get ourselves into trouble," the Hatter laughed, catching the wink the Doctor sent her as they continued to be tossed around like ragdolls while they flew.

….

As it happens, it didn't take them more than ten minutes before they managed to find out from a quick scan of the local area that they had just landed in, that there happened to be a group of lizards that were nesting close by and that there eggs were about to hatch.

Any other species of lizards would have been fine but these lizards were well known for their aggressive nature towards other species, manly humans, and had in the past, consumed half a planet before they could be stopped. And that was why the Doctor, the Hatter, and Martha were sitting in a London cab with a crossbow and some arrows, making their way towards the nest.

"Here should be fine, thanks," the Hatter told the cab driver, looking outside the window as they passed a few shops.

The cab driver pulled up and they quickly climbed out, hurrying off in the direction of the nest when someone stopped them.

"Doctor!" someone shouted, making them turn to see a young blonde women, standing outside a shop, holding some sort of purple folder in her hand, "Hatter! Martha!"

"Hello!" the Doctor grinned, glancing over to see Martha trying to tug the Hatter down the road but she wouldn't budge, looking at the blonde women curiously, "Sorry, bit of a rush, there's sorta of a thing happening, fairly important we stop it".

"My God, it's you, it really is you," the blonde stared at him, eyes widening slightly when she saw the Hatter, "And you! Both of you!" the Doctor and the Hatter exchanged confused looks, "Oh, you don't remember me, do you?"

"We don't have time for this!" Martha called, having given up trying to pull the Hatter away and was now a bit down the road.

The Hatter nodded, looking at the Doctor, "I'm afraid that she's right, migration's started".

"Look, sorry," the Doctor shook his head, turning back to the women, "We've got a bit of a complex life. Things don't always happen in order. Gets confusing, especially at weddings, I'm rubbish at weddings, especially my own," he gave the Hatter a slightly pointed look who shook her head at him, looking amused.

"Taking it slow, remember, sweetheart?" the Hatter gave him a look.

"Oh, my God!" the women gasped, realising, "Of course, you're time travellers. It hasn't happened yet! None of it, it's still in your future!"

"What hasn't?" the Hatter eyed the women, looking curious.

"Doctor, Hatter!" Martha called again, "Twenty minutes to red hatching!"

"It was me," the women breathed, shaking her head, "Oh, for God's sake, it was me all along. You got it all from me!"

"Got what?" both the Doctor and the Hatter asked, frowning.

"Okay, listen," the women said, growing serious, "One day you're going to get stuck in 1969. Make sure you've got this with you. You're going to need it," she handed them the purple folder.

"Doctor!" Martha shouted, sounding slightly more urgent, "Hatter! Come on!"

"Yeah, listen, listen, got to dash…" the Doctor looked back to the women, apologetically, "Things happening…"

"Well, four things," the Hatter cut in.

"Four things and a lizard," the Doctor finished, nodding.

"Okay," the women nodded, understandingly, "No worries, on you go. See you around, some day".

"Hey, what was your name?" the Hatter asked as the Doctor moved to walk away.

"Sally Sparrow," Sally smiled.

"Good to meet you, Sally Sparrow," the Doctor grinned at her as another man with brown hair walked up behind Sally, looking stunned as he stared at the Time Lords. Sally glanced at him, taking the man's hand.

"Goodbye, Doctor," Sally grinned as the man glanced down at their hands, looking surprised, "Hatter, Martha".

The Hatter smiled slightly as she watch them walk back inside a shop, shaking her head and turning to the Doctor, "Now we really need to go," she grabbed his hand and pulled him after Martha, running down the street.

….

After dealing with the lizards, which had been surprisingly easy to do, the Doctor and the Hatter had begun examining the folder that Sally had given them in the console room, spreading it all out so they could see it clearly. Some of them were photos, others were hand written notes, and there were a few typed once as well.

"Is this the stuff that Sally gave you?" Martha asked, walking into the room and over to them, glancing at a few of the pictures, "Why did she give it to us in the first place?"

"I would seem that we're going to get stuck in 1969," the Hatter answered, glancing up at her before picking up a photo of a wall, reading the writing, "'Beware the Weeping Angle. Oh and duck! Really duck! Sally Sparrow duck now! Love from the Doctor, the Hatter, and Martha Jones (1969),'" she glanced at the Doctor, amused, "Sounds like you".

"What happened to the TARDIS?" Martha frowned.

"The Weeping Angel's stole her," the Doctor answered, not looking up from another picture he was examining.

"What is a Weeping Angel?" Martha questioned.

"Also known as the Lonely Assassins," the Hatter explained, "There extremely old, no one really knows where they oriented from. It really annoys me when that happens," she shook her head, "They can move faster than light but the moment something living looks at them, they freeze into rock, hence the name, 'The Weeping Angels'. It's a survival instinct like running away because you can't kill stone. Well, maybe you can but I've never tried it".

"So, these Angels are going to steal the TARDIS," Martha said slowly, "And were going to be left behind in 1969?"

"No," the Doctor shook his head, "The Weeping Angels are going to send us there. That's what they do; send people back in the past so they can die".

"And if you think about it," the Hatter said, looking thoughtful, "That's pretty good death as far as deaths go. Living out your entire life only in a different time".

"And this Sally Sparrow woman is going to help us get the TARDIS back, then?" Martha nodded, understanding as she knelt down and started reading a few of the notes.

"Yep," the Time Lords nodded.

"All we have to do now is get sent back," the Doctor said.

"Couldn't we just…I don't know….run away from them? Make sure they don't catch us?"

"We have to stick to the timeline, Martha," the Hatter told her gently, "Bad things can happen if we don't, trust us on this. Besides, we'll get the TARDIS back and everything will be back to normal, well as normal as it ever gets," Martha didn't look very convinced, "Come on Martha, it won't be as bad as 1913. First off, the Doctor's still the Doctor, sadly…"

"Hey!" the Doctor exclaimed.

"Only joking, sweetheart," she grinned at him, turning back to Martha, "We won't have to ware those long dresses. Hello miniskirts! Truth be told, I'm dreading mini Skirts and dresses, I really am".

The Doctor stared at her for a moment before shaking his head, gathering everything back into the folder and slipping it into his pocket, standing, "Come on, we've got to pay a house call".

"You did not just make a doctor joke about investigating something," the Hatter shook her head, rolling her eyes. In answering, the Doctor winked at her before he pulled a leaver, sending both girls tumbling to the floor as they entered the Time Vortex.

…

The Doctor, and after the Hatter had managed to pull herself up from the ground, landed the TARDIS in an old, slightly damp, and dirty basement, stepping out and looked around.

"Doctor, have I ever mentioned that I just love the places you take us?" the Hatter remarked, looking around as she stepped out, Martha following, "I mean, what sort of women could ever say no to something like this?"

"Very funny, Hatter," the Doctor shook his head, leading them up a set of wooden stairs and into a hallway that wasn't any better from the basement, "Don't forget to keep your eyes peeled," he warned them, looking into the shadows, "We don't won't any…."

He was suddenly cut off by Martha screaming, both Time Lords jumped and turned, ready for action, only to see a large rat running out of the room by the skirting board.

"Sorry," Martha muttered, looking embarrassed as the Doctor arched an eyebrow and the Hatter stared at her, looking torn between laughing and shouting, "I thought it was something else".

"Clearly," the Hatter said dryly, shaking her head, "Well, if that didn't alert the Weeping Angels then I don't know what will. Still, it's nice to know that if we ever get locked inside a room, Martha can scream for help".

"Come on," the Doctor walked off into another room, leaving the girls to hurry after him. They looked around what appeared to be the old drawing room, noticing the the wall that Sally had given them the photo of with the writing that they would leave behind in their future, big black letters standing out clearly even in the gloomy light.

"This place must have been beautiful," the Hatter remarked, kneeling down to look at an old, dusty chandelier, sitting on the floor and flicking one of the crystals, "Now it just seems so…"

"Creepy?" Martha suggested, shivering as she watched the Doctor examine the wall.

"I was going to say sad but creepy will do," the Hatter said, standing before something caught her eye outside the glassless windows, "Um, Doctor, Martha, I think we've got a visitors".

Martha and the Doctor rushed over to join her at the window, looking out to see a stone Angel with its eyes covered with one hand while the other was pointing at them, "Don't blink," the Doctor warned, "We might be able to get back to the TARDIS…" from behind them was the sound of something moving, the Doctor turned to find another Angel, this one with both arms reach out and its mouth wide open, showing sharp teeth, "We've got another one".

"What's the point of watching them if we already know that were going to be sent back?" the Hatter asked, shaking her head, staring unblinkingly at the Angel outside.

"Alright, close your eyes then," Martha shrugged, not taking her eyes away from another Angel that had joined them.

"I would if every instinct wasn't screaming at me to continue staring," the Hatter replied, eyes beginning to water painfully, "Why don't we all close our eyes at the same time?"

"Okay," the Doctor nodded, grabbing the Hatter's hand while she grabbed Martha's, "On the count of three we all close our eyes, got it?" both girls agreed, "One….two…three!"

They closed their eyes, a moment later something grabbed their upper arms and everything turned into nothing.

…

"Ow," the Hatter groaned, rolling on to her back, staring up at the old ceiling of the drawing room. The sun was only just beginning to peek through the now boarded up windows, lightening the room slightly to show it looking the same as it did in the 21st century, only with less leaves and dirt on the floor.

The Doctor was lying within arm's length of her while Martha was lying with her back toward them on the other side of the room. The Doctor groaned a moment later, rolling onto his back like the Hatter had before sitting up, putting a hand to his forehead, closing his eyes painfully.

"Calm down, Doctor," she sighed, watching him as she rolled onto her side, "Time travel without a capsule is always a painful experience. Don't fret, I'm fine, I'm pretty sure Martha's alright and were in 1969, if you haven't already worked it out".

The Doctor looked relived, quickly making his way over to her and pulling her into a hug, "I thought for a moment that we might be sent to somewhere else," he sighed, leaning in to kiss her but Martha groaned, making him quickly kiss her check.

"Ow, what happened?" Martha asked, slightly strained as she rolled on to her back, groaning, "Where are we?"

"1969," the Doctor told her, helping the Hatter to stand before they walked over to her, "Careful, you'll give yourself a headache if you sit up to quickly".

"Tell me, Doctor, how do you know that, I wonder?" the Hatter smiled tersely at him, acting thoughtful, "Hmm, could it be because you forgot your own advice and did just that only moments ago?"

The Doctor grabbed her hat before she could react, putting it on his head, pouting slightly when it didn't fit.

"Huh," the Hatter laughed, "I've always said that you have a big head, here's the proof. Now, give me my hat back, old man!"

"Old man?" he raised his eyebrows, "I guess that makes you an old women, then".

The Hatter glared at him, "Never ever call a woman old, Doctor. We can become quit inventive when we wish to be," she suddenly smiled sweetly at him, "The hat, please".

The Doctor stared at her smile and crumbled, taking the hat off and placing it on her head, blushing slightly.

"Hey, guys, I'm down here, you know," Martha called, making them both jump and look down, "Want to help me up?"

"Sorry, Martha," the Hatter smiled, helping her up as the Doctor looked around, "Feeling better?"

"Yeah, thanks," she nodded, cracking her neck and back, wincing, "Does it always feel like that?"

"Time travel without a capsule, you mean," the Hatter brushed some dirt off Martha's jacket, nodding, "Pretty much but you get used to it. The first times always the worst. I've only done it once before so my body already knows what to expect".

"So this is 1969, yeah?" Martha asked, looking at the Doctor.

"February the 10th, 1969," the Doctor nodded, walking back over to them, hands in his pockets, "And it's about six o'clock in the morning. We should see if we can find somewhere to stay while were here".

"Does that mean that were going to be here for a while?" Martha asked, sounding like she dreaded the answer.

"A couple of months," the Doctor sighed, looking around gloomily, "We'll need to get jobs to, and a house," he groaned, rubbing his face, "Someone kill me now".

"As if you're going to get a job," the Hatter rolled her eyes, crossing her arms, "As for killing you, keep complaining and I might just make your wish come true, sweetheart," she smiled at him before sighing, gesturing down to her clothes, "Martha and I will have to change before we start looking for any employment. No one would hire us dressed like this".

The Doctor held up his finger and started digging through his pockets for a moment before sighing, holding out his hand to the Hatter, "Psychic paper".

"Oh, right, sorry," she smiled, going through her own pockets before pulling it out, passing it to the Doctor, glancing at Martha, "I have a bit of a habit when I'm bored to pickpocket the Doctor. It really is sad how easily I can entertain myself".

"We can use this to get jobs and a flat," the Doctor told them, holding the paper up to them, "Hatter, do you have any money on you?"

"Hmm, maybe," she said thoughtful, taking her coat off and began going through all of the pockets. Three minutes later she finely located a small bag.

"Let me guess," Martha said, "Bigger on the inside?"

"Of course," the Hatter grinned, pulling her coat back on and showing them the small bag with draw strings, "I'm not sure how much is in here but it shouldn't be too much trouble to get it changed at one of the banks".

"Good, we've got some money, now we need a place to stay," the Doctor said, taking the bag and pocketing it, heading toward the doors, "Come on, ladies".

Martha raised her eyebrows at the Hatter who shook her head, following after him.

…

A month had past sense they had first arrived in 1969 and things were started to get into a routine. Martha had managed to get herself a job working in a local clothing store, two blokes away from the small flat that they were shearing. It wasn't much, only two bedrooms, one bathroom, a small kitchen/dining room, and a small living room but the rent was cheap and so the Doctor was forced to sleep on the sofa, when he slept that is.

The Hatter had implied for a job working as a doctor in a privet practices just down the road from Martha's work, allowing them to spend their lunch times together, sometimes the Doctor would join them, mainly when he couldn't be bothered to make himself lunch and would try to sneak bits of the girls.

The Doctor of course was still managing to course trouble, the Hatter blamed it on him being bored and had sneakily managed to get him to find a job working in a chemist close by, sadly, it didn't work out. He somehow managed to scare off half the costumes but when asked by the girls what he had done, he would refuse to answer and go back to fiddling with the toaster. Another thing that was driving both girls up the wall was his constant ability to course small fires, explosions, and even sending half of London into a blackout while he claimed to be trying to stop the rattling in the fridge. Needless to say, the Hatter wasn't pleased.

"Now Doctor, do you remember the rules?" the Hatter asked, slipping a pair of black platform loafers on. She was dressed in a black mini dress with a black sheer poet style sleeves, and a black beret that she had become fond of while they had been staying in the sixties. The dresses and shoes, less so.

"Yes," he pouted and stopped flickering through the limited channels that they had on the small television, switching it off, "No leaving the flat unless I tell either you or Martha," the Hatter nodded, "No 'improving' unless you're here. No cooking or cleaning unless it's for myself. Do I have to repent everything?"

"No," the Hatter smiled, leaning over his shoulder and kissing his cheek, "I'm just making sure. Martha's working late and I won't be back until five so you'll be alone for the next nine hours or so, think you can handle it?"

"Do I get a proper kiss before you go?" he asked cheekily, grinning as he turned his head to the side to see her better.

"Of course," she leaned forward but stopped, "No fires?"

"No fires," he nodded before kissing her deeply even on the slightly awkward angle they were on before the Hatter pulled away, blushing bright red.

"I'm going to be late for work if I don't leave soon," she sighed, turning away from the Doctor and over to the door were she began pulling on her coat, the Doctor watched her go the entire time, looking mainly at her bare legs, she may not have liked how short the dresses and skirts were but he certainly did, "Try to be a good boy, Doctor and stay out of trouble. I'll try and swing by at lunch time but I can't promise anything".

"Are you meeting Martha?"

"Yes, but I can get her to wait for me while I run back here," the Hatter shrugged, sighing as she tugged her short dress down while looking at herself in the full-length mirror beside the door, "I really hate these dresses, I keep feeling as if every man I walk past is staring at my legs. It's very annoying," the Doctor blushed and turned away, "But when it's one's boyfriend, it's flattering".

He blinked, looking over to her to see her smiling knowingly at him, "You noticed?"

"Not at first, Martha helpfully pointed it out a few weeks ago," the Hatter grinned, "I have to say that it's very amusing to watch you, Doctor, acting like any other man. Most Time Lord Males wouldn't have looked twice let alone stared, for some reason, I always thought that you would have that in common but I see that I am to be corrected".

"Why did you think I would have that in common with other Time Lords?" the Doctor asked curiously.

"Well, there was your companion Leela," she said thoughtfully, "I only ever meet her a handful of times but even I noticed her slightly…revealing clothes," the Doctor blinked, looking slightly surprised, he had never really thought about it like that, "And then there was Peri Brown…"

"Peri?" the Doctor frowned, looking confused, "She didn't wear anything revealing".

"So you did notice," the Hatter laughed, the Doctor blushed, shaking his head, "No, I just meant that she often wore clothing that was low cut or skin tight".

"Really?" the Doctor sniffed, "I never noticed".

"And you have to admit that Jo Grant wore a few short dresses," the Hatted continued, enjoying teasing the Doctor even if it meant she was going to be late, "I could go on…"

"No, you're made your point," the Doctor quickly cut her off, making her laugh, "Yes, some of my past companions have perhaps worn some slightly revealing clothing".

"I'm surprised that more people don't comment on it," the Hatter smiled playfully, "A funny man in a small blue box with lots of young women. Tongues will wag, Doctor dear".

"Aren't you late for work or something?" he asked almost desperately while strangely sad at her leaving.

"Yes I am, as a matter of fact," the Hatter nodded, quickly kissing his cheek before rushing out, leaving the Doctor to flicker through the channels, pouting slightly, trying to stop himself from thinking of a certain red head.

….

At lunch time, the Hatter left her office and made her way down the street towards a busy looking clothing store were Martha was working. Usually Martha would already be standing outside, waiting for the Hatter to meet her but not today. Shrugging, she entered the small shop to find it quit busy with women, mostly browsing through rakes of different style and coloured clothing, other's chatting with their friends.

On the other side of the room, Martha was showing a young woman with dark hair a dress, smiling polity and nodded when asked a question, the Hatter watched for a moment, forcing herself to stop smiling as she remembered Martha complaining almost every night about how much she hated working in the clothing shop.

The Hatter waited until Martha had finished with the women before walking up to her, "I don't think I've ever seen this place so packed with customers," she remarked, eyeing the room before glancing at Martha who looked extremely stressed, "Let me guess, lunch is cancelled?"

"Sorry," Martha sighed, wiping her forehead with the long sleave of her mini dress, "Two of the other girls called in sick this morning, leaving me to deal with all of this. The owner, Mr Peters told us last week that today would be a sale. Still, I get paid extra so we won't have to worry about the bills or the rent being paid on time".

"Not to mention the fire damage cosets," the Time Lady smiled, shaking her head, "I'm still trying to work out how he could have caused the mass blackout with only a human hammer. Sadly, I doubt that we'll ever know".

Martha smiled but it slowly faded, "I'm sorry about lunch, I'll make dinner tonight".

"I wouldn't worry about it," the Hatter shook her head, "The Doctor's planed us a trip".

"Were?" Martha asked, looking unsure if she really wanted to know.

"We have to paint the message to Sally Sparrow tonight," the Hatter said, smiling when Martha groaned, "What's the matter, Martha Jones? Scared of seeing another rat?"

"You're never going to let me live that down, are you?"

"What sort of friend would I be if I did?" the Hatter grinned, nodding over to a group of women who seemed to be arguing over a sweater, "I think you're needed, Martha, try not to get yourself hurt".

"Thanks," she nodded, walking over to the women and started trying to break them up, the Hatter watched for a moment, laughing slightly as she walked out of the shop.

….

The Doctor, the Hatter, and Martha crept through the old house, carrying everything they would need to leave the message and cover it so Sally would find it via peeling the wall paper back.

It didn't take them long before they located the right room at the back of the house, quickly setting to work; both girls forced the Doctor to do the painting while they prepared the wall paper, all the while keeping an eye out for more Angels.

'BEWARE THE WEEPING ANGELS! OH, AND DUCK! REALLY, DUCK! SALLY, SPARROW DUCK, NOW!'

Followed by: LOVE FROM THE DOCTOR, THE HATTER, MARTHA JONES (1969)

The Doctor couldn't stop himself from going up behind the Hatter wiping cobwebs on her back, coursing her to yelp in surprise and chuck the brush she was using to apply the glue to the back of the wall paper at him, hitting his back as he tried run away. Martha laughed as she watched the two of them.

After they had stopped messing around with each other, they quickly set back to putting the wall paper back up and making sure to peel a piece back so some of the written was visible, hopefully one day leading Sally to their message.

"Can we go now?" Martha asked as they stood back, looking at their work, "This place is creepy".

"I think it's beautiful," the Hatter remarked, looking around the dark room, "Sad perhaps but still beautiful".

The Doctor smiled softly at her before shaking his head, "Come on," he took the Hatter's hand and pulled her out of the room, leaving Martha to follow.

_**So much for the Hatter never wearing heels again. I've already finished writing the next chapter so that will be up in a day or two. I'm back at school now so I won't be able to update as often as I would like, all well. I've started writing the first chapter for 'The five Doctor's and Hatter's,' but I won't be posting that until I've finished it so don't expect it to be up for a little while. I hope you liked it, please review :)**_


	22. Chapter 22 Blink part 2

_**Blink part 2.**_

A week later, Martha and the Hatter arrived back to their flat to find the living room covered in chicken feathers and, hopefully, chicken blood. Both girls mouths dropped at the sight, a moment later the Doctor appeared, holding a mop in one hand and something that looked like a radio in the other. His hair was slightly damp and he was dressed in a different suit to the one he had been wearing that mourning, leaving Martha and the Hatter at the conclusion that he had been forced to change, taking a shower at the same time.

"What the hell happened here?" Martha gasped, staring around at everything, the Doctor scratched the back of his head sheepishly, "Is that blood?" she almost cried, pointing at the walls.

"I can explain everything," the Doctor quickly said.

"I should hope so," the Hatter remarked, coming out of her own shock as she picked up a feather, eyeing it, "Doctor, why is there chicken feathers all around here? And for that matter, chicken blood?"

"Wait," Martha held up her hand before the Doctor could answer, "This is chicken blood? How do you know that?"

"It's the logical assumption," she shrugged, blowing the feather into the air and watching it for a moment, turning back to Martha, "Unless you're suggesting that the Doctor has started murdering people in our flat…"

"How can you be so calm about this?" Martha asked, staring at the Time Lady.

"Because this _is_ the Doctor we're talking about".

"Hey!" the Doctor shouted, "I am still here you know".

"Good, start explaining," Martha turned, crossing her arms as she looked coldly at him; the Hatter was suddenly struck by how much Martha looked like her mother.

"Well," the Doctor began explaining, dropping the mop and showing them the radio like device, "I was testing my timey-wimey detector".

"You're what?" Martha blinked at him; the Hatter shook her head, looking just as confused.

"My timey-wimey detector," the Doctor repeated, looking slightly disappointed that the Hatter hadn't worked it out, "It goes ding when there's stuff".

"I'm sure it does, Doctor," the Hatter shook her head, smiling slightly, "Perhaps if you could tell us what a…timey-wimey detector is supposed to do, then we'll understand better".

The Doctor sighed, "Fine, if you want to be all proper," the Hatter raised her eyebrows at him but didn't comment, "I was trying to make a Temporal Anomaly Detector so we'll know when Billy turns up, only it didn't seem to like being in the same room as the chicken," he gestured to the room, "I was going to clean it up".

The Hatter gasped, nodding as she understood, "You should have talked to me, Doctor, we could have made it together," the Doctor coughed, looking slightly embarrassed as she narrowed her eyes at him, "Wait a minutes…you didn't do this to try an impress me, did you?"

"Maybe," he tried to shrug it off, turning bright red.

"Doctor, what ever will I do with you?" the Hatter sighed, smiling slightly.

"Yeah, sorry to interrupt," Martha cut in, "But can someone please tell me what a chicken was doing in here in the first place?"

"I might have snuck out this morning when you two went to work," the Doctor said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck, "I didn't do anything, I just went to the farmers market and bought something's for dinner. I thought we could have roast chicken".

"You know," the Hatter said, glancing at Martha, "I'm torn between calling him sweet and shouting at him for breaking the rules, what about you?"

"Same," Martha nodded before shaking her head, "Alright but can either one of you tell me what a…Temporal Anomaly Detector, thing, does?"

"It detects residual artron energy," the Doctor explained, looking less nervous now that he hadn't been yelled at, "Arton energy is found on people who have travelled through the Time Vortex. Like us three".

"Think of it like background radiation," the Hatter added, going on when she noticed Martha's concerned look, "Don't worry, it's harmless, the most harm it will do to a human is make your immune system stronger than other people, less likely to get colds, flus, and some diseases. I would say that was more of a plus then anything wouldn't you, Miss Jones?"

"That's alright, then," Martha nodded, looking relived, "I guess chickens off the menu for tonight, how about bacon and eggs?"

"Um," the Doctor looked sheepish again, "You might want to change that to boiled eggs and bacon".

"I'm not even going to ask," Martha muttered, heading into the kitchen and out of sight.

The Hatter grabbed the mop that the Doctor had dropped and held it out to him, taking the timey-wimey detector from him, "You get started on cleaning while I start trying to get this thing to work," she gave him a stern look, "Understand, Doctor?"

"Do I get a hello kiss first?" he asked hopefully.

"Why settle for a hello kiss if you could get a job well done kiss?" the Hatter asked, grinning cheekily as he immediately started mopping.

….

A week later while the tro were enjoying a quiet evening of watching an old movie on the television, the Doctor's timey-wimey detected began dinging like an old telephone would. They quickly changed into the clothes they had been wearing before being sent to 1969, grabbing the device as it continued to ding and followed its instructions on were to go.

They made their way through an alleyway just as a young man fell against the wall, sliding to the floor after appearing out of thin air, dressed in clothing from the 21st century.

"Welcome!" the Doctor greeted, walking over to the man.

"Hello," the Hatter smiled, "Don't worry, we're here to help…sort of".

"Where am I?" the man, Billy, asked, groaning.

"1969" the Hatter smiled gently as the device the Doctor was carrying beeped.

"Not bad, as it goes," the Doctor remarked, "You've got the moon landing to look forward to".

"Oh, the moon landing's brilliant," Martha grinned, looking excited, "We went four times," she cast the Doctor and the Hatter a look, "Back when we had transport…"

"Working on it!" both Time Lords exclaimed.

"How did I get here?" Billy asked, still looking confused.

"The same way we did," the Doctor said, sitting beside him, "The touch of an Angel".

"It was probably the same one as ours," the Hatter said thoughtfully, "They sure do get around these Angels".

Billy moved to stand but the Doctor gently pushed him back, "No, no, no, no, no, don't get up," he shook his head, "Time travel without a capsule, nasty. Catch your breath, don't go swimming for half an hour".

"I don't…" Billy blinked, still looking very confused, "I can't…"

"Fascinating race, the Weeping Angels," the Doctor commented, looking at the ceiling, "The only psychopaths in the Universe to kill you nicely," he looked back to Billy, "No mess, no fuss, they just zap you into the past and let you live to death. The rest of your life used up and blown away in the blink of an eye".

"Quit literally," the Hatter cut in, smiling sadly, "You die in the past and in the present they consume the energy of all the days you could have had, all of your stolen moments. They're creatures of abstract. They live off potential energy".

Billy looked in-between them, "What in God's name are you talking about?"

"Trust me," Martha cut in, "Just nod when they stop for breath".

"I'm not that bad," the Hatter shook her head, "I just had a tendency to….ramble, slightly," she then pointed at the amused looking Doctor, "He's the one with the motor mouth".

"Hatter, you're supposed to be on my side!" the Doctor exclaimed, making her shrug before he turned back to Billy, showing him the device, "Anyway, this is my…" the Hatter coughed, "Right, sorry, _our_ timey-wimey detector. It goes ding when there's stuff. Also, it can boil an egg at 30 paces, whether you want it to or not, actually, so I've learned to stay away from hens. It's not pretty when they blow".

"Neither was the flat," the Hatter remarked, forcing herself not to smile, still to that day they were finding chicken feathers in the most unlikely places.

"I don't understand," Billy shook his head, "Where am I?"

"1969, like they said," Martha told him gently.

"Normally, we'd offer you a lift home, but somebody nicked my motor," the Doctor sighed, shrugging, "So I need to take a message to Sally Sparrow. And I'm sorry, Billy, I am very, very sorry. It's gonna take you a while".

…

It was a few days after Billy arrived that the Doctor found the Hatter sitting by the window in her bedroom, staring at the night sky. Martha had already gone to bed, saying that she needed to be up early because of work, leaving the two of them alone.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked, sitting beside her.

The Hatter blinked and glanced at him before looking back to the stars, "So many things," she sighed after a moment, "I was thinking about home," the Doctor sighed, taking her hand, "I was just thinking about my parents. I will never be able to forgive them for not telling me about my children's deaths but I still miss them".

"They were your parents," the Doctor said gently, "Yes; they made mistakes but who hasn't?"

"I know," she sighed, nodding, "On one level I do forgive them but on another I just can't. I will never understand why they couldn't have just told me or given me some warning".

"Maybe they were just trying to save you the pain," the Doctor rubbed her back, "They loved you, they might have had trouble showing it but they did".

"I know…sometimes I do, anyway," the Hatter sighed, pressing her forehead against the cool glass, closing her eyes, "Doctor…"

"Hmm?" he asked, gently moving a piece of her hair behind her ear.

"I think…I think it's time to tell Martha about us," she said, opening her eyes and looked at him, watching as he looked surprised before pleased.

"Are you sure?"

"She is my friend," the Hatter nodded, looking sure, "And I may not have known her very long but I've come to think of her as a sister, well, my human sister, that is. She trusted me with her secrets; I feel that I should do the same. Sort of, I'm not exactly going to tell her everything, a girl has to have some mystery about themself".

"I stand by whatever you want," the Doctor told her, smiling, "But…"

"But you won't lie and say that you don't love the thought of telling everyone," the Hatter finished, looking amused.

"Am I really that predicable?" the Doctor asked, almost pouting.

"No, my sweetheart," the Hatter smiled, kissing his cheek, "I just know you".

The Doctor opened his arms, mock pouting now, "Hatter, I think I need a hug".

"And I think that you act like a child," was the amused reply.

"Do you remember when we were kids and I tickled you?" the Doctor asked, smirking when he noticed her eyes snap to his, looking slightly alarmed, "Do you remember how ticklish your first self was?"

"You wouldn't dare," the Hatter narrowed her eyes at him, "Besides; this is a compliantly different body, for all you know I might not be ticklish."

"Let's find out then," he started to movie forward but the Hatter quickly hugged him, looking almost panicked for a moment, "There, was that so hard?" he breathed into her neck.

"Stop that".

"What?" he asked, sounding confused.

"Talking into my neck," she replied, "It tickles".

A moment later, they were both laughing.

…

The next day, the Hatter sent the Doctor out to pick up some shopping which he had slowly warmed to the idea when she promised to kiss him after. She was pacing up and down the living room, thinking about how she would tell Martha when the women in question walked in the door, flopping onto the sofa a moment later.

"I never want to see the colour yellow, again," she groaned, closing her eyes and leaning her head back, "I've spent the last six hours sorting through yellow dresses. Six hours of it. I can't wait to we leave".

The Hater smiled slightly, feeling less nervous as she sat beside Martha on the sofa, "Remained me to never let the Doctor to take us to the Yellow Planet, then".

Martha's eye's cracked open, "The what?"

"It has another name but humans can't say it," the Hatter shrugged, "The entire planet is made up of different shades of yellow, even the people. Fascinating race, not big fans of Time Lords, though. Not a big fan of anything unless it's painted yellow, really. I was thrown in jail when I went there; I forgot to dye my black hair yellow".

"Is there other planets like that?"

"Oh, yes," the Hatter nodded, looking thoughtful, "Plenty, mind you, I haven't been to all of them. I always found that it was too much work trying to get my companies to dress in the right colours, let alone paint their skin and hair".

"Yeah, I can see that being an issue," Martha nodded before frowning, looking around, "Where's the Doctor? It's not like him to be this quiet".

"I sent him out shopping so I could talk to you," the Hatter replied, Martha raised her eyebrows but didn't comment, "Do you remember when I told John Smith that I love him?"

"Yes," Martha said, "You said that you hoped the Doctor wouldn't remember…" she trailed off, her eyes going wide as she looked at the Hatter, "He remembered?"

"Yep," the Time Lady nodded, smiling slightly, "He remembered everything, Martha. He got me to tell him the truth and…"

"And…?" Martha looked as if she was on the edge of her sit.

"You were right. He did…well, does love me".

Martha grinned, "So, are the two of you together or what?"

"We're together," the Hatter nodded, grinning herself, "But we've agreed to take things slow. We don't won't to rush into anything too fast and later regret it; our friendship comes first at this point".

"Congratulations," Martha smiled, "I'm really happy for the two of you, you both deserve some happiness for once," they were silent for a moment, "Wait, is this why the Doctor has been sending me out on those weird jobs? And is that why both you and he looked so…dishevelled when we left that shop after buying new cloths?"

The Hatter blushed bright red, remembering what happened.

_**One month and four weeks prior.**_

_The Doctor leaned against the wall in a clothing store, waiting for Martha and the Hatter to finish trying on clothing as Martha stepped out. She was dressed in a pale green, mini dress with a red scarf holding her hair back._

"_What do you think?" she asked, spinning around so he could see._

_The Doctor glanced up, looking extremely bored, "Hmm, yeah, great. Can we go now?"_

"_No," Martha rolled her eyes, typical man, "The Hatter still hasn't shown us what she looks like yet," she smirked slightly when she heard him groan, looking over her shoulder and calling, "Hey, Hatter, come on. We're waiting"._

"_No, I think I just buy it and you can see when I'm wearing it," the Hatter replied, slightly muffled through the wooden door._

"_Come on," Martha smiled, "We're not leaving until you do"._

"_I bet the Doctor loves the sound of that," the Hatter remarked, laughing slightly as she heard the Doctor's groan. She sighed, unlocking the changing room door and stepped out, spinning around like Martha had._

_She was dressed in a short, short, bright blue tunic style dress with slits up the arms that went from the wrist all the way up to the shoulder, slightly low cut around the neckline, showing her Gallifreyan necklace, clearly. Her wavy hair had been smoothed back and puffed up slightly at the front to give it more volume while a small, black beret sat on an angle towards the back._

"_I can't possibly wear this," the Hatter sighed, shaking her head, "How can I walk around in public in something that shows off half my upper thigh? My parents would be horrified…" she trailed off, slowly smirking, "Or maybe I should have done this a long time ago just to see their reaction"._

_Martha glanced at the Doctor, smiling when she saw him staring wide eyed at the Hatter, his mouth gaping slightly as his eyes travelled from her face, slowly down her body, pausing for a moment at her hem line, swallowing hard and noticeably before traveling down her legs and back to her face._

"_I'll just go and try on a few more dresses," Martha mumbled, quickly walking over to her own changing room and closing the door._

_The Hatter frowned slightly, watching her go before glancing at the Doctor, seeing his face, "Do you like it, then?" she asked, gesturing to the dress, sighing, "I can't believe that I'm going to have to walk around like this, I mean…" _

_She was suddenly cut off by the Doctor pushing her against the wall and kissing her so deeply that it made her knees weak from how much love and passion that he didn't seem to be able to put into words. They stayed like that for a few minutes, not nearly enough for the Doctor's liking before breaking apart, gasping for air._

"_I'll just…" the Hatter breathed, blushing bright red as she struggled to talk, "I'll just…yeah," she shook her head and shakily walked back into the changing room, sinking to the floor as soon as she closed the door._

_Outside, the Doctor wasn't any better._

_**Present moment.**_

The Hatter coughed, turning bright red, "It would appear that the dress I was wearing…triggered something".

Martha laughed, remembering how mussed the Doctor's hair had been, the Hatter's not looking any better, if not worse.

"Anyway," the Hatter shook her head, going back to talking about the Doctor sending Martha out at all hours to get things that he clearly didn't need, "Well spotted. I keep trying to tell him to wait until you have gone to bed but he can be such a man sometimes. But don't worry; you won't have to worry about walking in on us having some sort of make out session".

"Good," Martha smiled, "I lived in student housing for a while and I saw more than enough".

The Hatter smiled but quickly turned serious, "Also, Martha, please don't mention this to anyone unless the Doctor or I, mainly me, have said so. The last thing we need is for our enemies to find out".

"Yeah, of course," Martha nodded, "I promise".

"Thanks you," the Hatter smiled in relief, "Want to watch something on TV while we wait for the Doctor to return?"

"Sure," Martha shrugged, turning to the TV as the Hatter turned it on.

….

A few more weeks passed before they decided that it was time to make the DVD recordings for Sally. They all wanted to leave as soon as they possibly could and hopefully, the sooner they could film and give the copy to Billy, the sooner they could get the TARDIS back.

"Have you got the camera right?" the Doctor asked, fiddling with his collar while the Hatter and Martha set up everything they would need to start filming.

"Pretty much," the Hatter nodded, casting the camera a quick look, making sure everything was corrected before joining the Doctor in front of it, "Martha, are you ready?"

Martha nodded, asking, "Do you guys remember the lines?"

"We're Time Lords, Martha," the Doctor said as If it was the simplest thing in the world.

"I don't mean to sound rude, but can we please just hurry up and get this over and done with?" the Hatter sighed, fiddling with the her cuffs, "I really hate cameras, film or picture. It always makes me think of my old companion who was always taking photo's when we went on adventures".

"Right, yeah," Martha nodded, hitting the record button and started the autocue, setting them off.

….

"The Doctor," Sally said, staring at the computer screen on her friend, Larry's laptop, "And the Hatter".

"Who're the Doctor and the Hatter?" Larry frowned, looking in-between Sally and the computer, confused.

Sally pointed at the screen, "They're the Doctor and the Hatter".

"Yep," the Doctor nodded.

"That's us," the Hatter gave a small wave, smiling.

"Okay, that was scary…" Sally frowned, kneeling on the groaned in front of the screen.

"No, it sounds like there replying, but they always say that," Larry shook his head.

"Yes, we do," the Doctor nodded.

"And that," Larry nodded toward the screen.

"Yep, and this," the Hatter said, slowly grinning as she winked at the screen, the Doctor laughed.

"They can hear us," Sally gasped, "Oh, my God, you can really hear us!"

"Of course they can't hear us," Larry laughed as he picked up his notebook, "Look! I've got the transcript, see, everything they say. 'Yep, I do.' 'Yep, and this.' Next is…"

"Are you going to read out the whole thing?" the Doctor, the Hatter, and Larry asked in unison.

"Sorry," Larry blushed slightly, looking embarrassed.

"Who are you?" Sally asked as Larry sat beside her.

"Oh, you know," the Hatter smiled, glancing at the Doctor, "Time travellers. Well, we were. Now we're just stuck in 1969".

Martha suddenly walked into view, "We're all stuck," she gave the Time Lords a glare, "All time and space, they promised me. Now I've got job in a shop," she pointed to the Hatter, "She's getting coughed on by little kids, and we've got to support _him_".

"Martha!" the Doctor exclaimed.

"Calm down, sweetheart," the Hatter shook her head, "She does have a point. I've lost count of how many times someone has coughed in my face. Thank goodness I'm not human; otherwise I would have caught several colds".

"Hatter!" the Doctor pouted.

She sighed, gesturing toward the camera, "Martha".

"Sorry," Martha muttered, disappearing out of frame.

"I've seen this bit before," Sally remarked, looking slightly amused.

"Quite possibly," the Doctor replied.

"1969, that's where you're talking from?" Sally asked.

"Got it," the Hatter nodded.

"But you're replying to me," Sally frowned, shaking her head, confused, "You can't know exactly what I'm gonna say, 40 years before I say it!"

"38," the Time Lords corrected in unison, quickly high fiving each other, grinning.

"I'm getting this down!" Larry said, pulling out a pen and flipping through his notebook, "I'm writing in your bits".

"How?" Sally questioned, shaking her head as she stared at the screen, "How is that possible? Tell me!"

"Not so fast…" Larry complained, copying everything down.

"Eh…" the Doctor began, "People don't understand time".

The Hatter nodded, "It's not what you think it is".

"Then what is it?" Sally asked.

"Complicated," the Doctor and the Hatter told her.

"Tell me".

"Very complicated".

"I'm clever and I'm listening," Sally told them seriously, the Doctor and the Hatter exchanged looks, "And don't patronize me because people have died, and I'm not happy. Tell me".

"We don't think you're not clever, Sally Sparrow," the Hatter smiled at her, "We think that your brilliant, both of you are brilliant," she glanced back to the Doctor and back to the camera, "As for your question, people assume that time is just a strict progression of cause to effect…"

"But actually," the Doctor cut in, "From a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint, it's more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey…stuff".

"I wish you would use the proper words," the Hatter sighed, shaking her head at him, "Over two hundred years of some of the best schooling in the Universe and what do you do? Make up terms".

"You love it, really," the Doctor grinned cheekily, kissing her cheek, making her blush.

"Shut up, Doctor, your embarrassing yourself".

"And you, going by the cute blush your wear so well," the Doctor grinned, Martha cleared her throat behind the camera, "Oh, yeah, right…sorry about that".

"Yeah, I've seen this bit before," Sally smiled slightly, watching the Hatter blush bright red, matching her hair, "You said that sentence got away from you".

"It got away from her, yeah," the Doctor nodded.

"Next thing you're going to say is, 'Well, we can hear you'".

"Well, we can hear you," the Doctor and the Hatter replied.

"This isn't possible," Sally shook her head.

"No," Larry spoke up, laughing, "It's brilliant!"

"Not hear you exactly," the Doctor said, "But we know everything you're going to say".

"Always gives me the shivers, that bit," Larry told Sally, she glanced at him before turning back to the computer.

"How can you know what I'm going to say?"

"Look to your left," the Hatter told her.

Sally frowned, looking to her left were Larry was sitting, "What does she mean, 'Look to your left?'" Larry asked, shaking his head, "I've written tons about that on the forums. I think it's a political statement".

"She means you," Sally told him, watching him for a moment, "What are you doing?"

"I'm writing in your bits," Larry shrugged, holding up the transcript for her, "So I've got a complete transcript of the whole conversation. Wait until this hits the net. This will explode the egg forums".

"We've got a copy of the finished transcript," the Doctor said, "It's on our Autocue".

"Well, we don't really need it," the Hatter shrugged, "We've memorised the transcript already, the Autocue is just in case".

"How can you have a copy of the finished transcript?" Sally asked, frowning, "It is still being written".

"We told you," the Doctor said, "We're time travellers. We got it in the future".

"Okay, let me get my head 'round this," Sally shook her head, "You're reading from a transcript of a conversation you're still having?"

"Wibbly wobbley, timey-wimey," the Doctor and the Hatter replied, the Doctor grinned at her, realising what she had said.

"Actually, never mind that," Sally looked at Larry, "You can do shorthand?"

"So?" Larry shrugged.

"What matters is we can communicate," the Doctor said, bring Larry and Sally back to the point, "We have got big problems now. They've taken the blue box, haven't they? The Angels have the phone box".

"Oh, I like that," the Hatter cut in, nodding slowly, "That would be good on a t-shirt. Hmm, maybe when we get the TARDIS, if I ask very nicely, she'll make me one".

"The Angels have the phone box!" Larry grinned, pointing at the Hatter, "That's my favourite; _I've_ got it on a t-shirt!"

"What do you mean, 'Angles?'" Sally asked, frowning, "You mean those stature things?"

"Creatures from another world," the Hatter nodded.

"But they're just statues".

"Only when you see them," the Doctor warned.

"What does that mean?" Sally shook her head.

"They have quit a few names," the Hatter explained, "Lonely assassins, was one name for them. No-one, not even me which is something because usually I would have worked in it while being in 'The Order,'" the Doctor cleared his throat, "Oh, right, sorry. They're thought to be as old as the Universe, or very nearly. They have survived all this time and they have the perfect defence system ever evolved. Quantum-locked".

"They don't exist when being observed," the Doctor nodded, continuing after the Hatter, "The moment they're seen by any other living creature they freeze into rock. No choice. It's a fact of their biology. In the sight of any living thing, they literally turn to stone. And you can't kill stone. Course, a stone can't kill you either. But then your turn your head away, then you blink, and oh, yes it can!"

"Don't take your off that," Sally told Larry, nodding over to an Angle standing in the garden with its eyes covered.

"And that's why they cover their eyes," the Hatter sighed, "They're not weeping, they can't risk looking at each other. Their greatest asset is their greatest curse. They can never be seen".

"The loneliest creatures in the Universe," the Doctor nodded, "And I'm sorry, I am very, very sorry, it's up to you now".

"What am I supposed to do?" Sally demanded.

"The blue box, it's my time machine," the Doctor explained, "There is a world of time energy in there they could feast on forever. The damage they can do can switch off the sun. you have got to send it back to me!"

"How?" Sally demanded, stressed, "How?"

The Hatter sighed, looking back at them sadly, "And that's it, I'm very sorry. There's no more from you on the transcripts, that's all we've got. We're not sure what stopped you from talking, but we can guess".

"They're coming," the Doctor cut in, looking very serious, "The Angles are coming for you. But listen, your life could depend on this. Don't blink! Don't even blink. Blink and you're dead. They are fast, faster than you can believe. Don't turn your back, don't look away, and don't blink!"

"I wish you all the luck in the Universe," the Hatter nodded as the film ended.

….

"Well, that's all sorted," the Doctor rubbed the back of his head as they walked down a street after meeting with Billy, giving him the films.

"When do you think we'll get the TARDIS back?" Martha asked the Time Lords.

"It could be any day," the Hatter shrugged, "I've already spoken to my employer and told him that I needed to quiet because of family problems. Well, it's half true".

"I suppose we should make the most of the time we have left here," the Doctor said after a moment, glancing at the girls.

"I thought you hated it here," the Hatter said, giving him an amused look, thinking back to how many times he had complained about it.

The Doctor suddenly stopped, making both girls stop as he turned, taking the Hatter's hands in his, "Hatter, will you have dinner with me?"

"Doctor, I already eat dinner with you," the Hatter said, smiling, "Remember? It's my turn to cook tonight, anyway".

"Hatter," Martha sighed, giving her a look, "He's asking you out on a date".

The Hatter blinked, looking at the Doctor's slightly amused face, "Oh, yes, right. Well…of course I will have dinner with you, Doctor," she frowned, looking at Martha, "But what will you do?"

"I'll spend the night watching TV," Martha shrugged, pushing the Hatter toward the Doctor, "Don't worry about me, just enjoy yourselves".

Martha smiled at them before walking down the street toward there flat, leaving them alone. The Doctor grinned, turning back to the Hatter, "Dinner?"

"Love to," she replied, smiling, linking her arm through his as they set off back the way they had come.

…

The Doctor and the Hatter strolled through a park, laughing as they held hands. It was late at night and they had just left the restraint were the Doctor, being him, accidentally set fire to the table cloth with a candle, almost burning the entire place down.

"Only you could do something like that," the Hatter laughed, almost clinging to the Doctor so she wouldn't collapse from laughing so hard, "Remind me to never let you into a room with candles again".

"It's not my fault," the Doctor tried to arguer but he too was laughing, "Who puts candles on tables, anyway?"

"It's called setting the mood, Doctor," she rolled her eyes, "It's supposed to be romantic. Candle light dinners, walks on the beach, slow dancing, it's all to set the so called romantic feel".

The Doctor paused, looking at her curiously, "You can't tell when someone's asking you out on a date and yet you know what human's do to make things romantic?"

"I did spend five years as one," the Hatter shrugged, "I had a life".

"Tell me about it".

"Why?" the Hatter asked.

"You know about my life as a human," the Doctor replied, "I'm interested to know what your life was like".

"Not much to tell, really," she sighed, pulling the Doctor over to a park bench close by, "As you know, I believed that my name was Emma Louise Smith. My parents had been killed when I was young, I could never remember how exactly. My entire life didn't make sense and you have no idea how irritating it was, I was always having nightmares about the Time War, sometimes I would just have dreams about past adventures".

"You mentioned while I was human that you had a…." he seemed to have trouble for a moment before spitting out, "_Boyfriend_".

The Hatter smirked, "Jealous?"

The Doctor in response kissed her; "Of a human?" he kissed her again, "Never".

"That's a shame," the Hatter heaved a sigh, hiding her smile, "I was rather looking forward to seeing this other side of you".

"You've seen me jealous before," the Doctor said before he could stop himself, making the Hatter laugh.

"Got you!"

He flicked her nose, "Cheeky".

"I learnt from the best, sweetheart," the Hatter grinned, making him look smug until she went on, "I think you would have enjoyed spending more time chatting with Michael".

"That's it!" he suddenly pulled her toward him and started tickling her sides, making them both laugh loudly as the Hatter tried to get away only to fall off the bench, pulling the Doctor with her as they landed on the damp grass.

"Alright, alright!" she shouted, gasping for breath as she struggled to get free, laughing, "I give in, oh handsome one!"

The Doctor stopped tickling her and kissed her before helping her up, "Much better, now don't you forget it".

"If you say so," the Hatter rolled her eyes, laughing.

"Oi!" a voice suddenly shouted, making them look down the path they had just walked down to see two police offers making their way toward them, "Stop that! Off you go, now!"

"You're like a magnet," the Hatter shook her head, grabbing his hand, pulling him away, "Come on".

…

Another two days later and the device finally beeped. They quickly gathered up the little belongs that they did have or wished to keep, dashing out of the old flat and toward the house were the TARDIS was standing in the basement.

"Oh," the Hatter winced slightly as they approached the time machine.

"What's the matter?" Martha asked, looking at her in concern.

"The TARDIS isn't very happy with him," she nodded to the Doctor who was rubbing his temple.

The Doctor took out his key and tried to unlock the door but it wouldn't budge, "I'm sorry, old girl".

"Let me, Doctor," the Hatter took out her own key and unlocked the door, the TARDIS doors swung open, the Doctor stared at her, "I keep telling you Doctor that she has a soft spot for Time Ladies".

"Women," he muttered, Martha and the Hatter shook their heads, walking inside as he tried to follow. He barely stepped inside when the doors slammed shut behind him, causing him to jump forward.

"I don't think she liked your remarked, Doctor," the Hatter laughed, patting the console.

"Ask her to forgive me," he sighed, quickly adding at the look he was sent, "Please".

The Hatter rolled her eyes, tuning to the console, patting it, "I don't blame you for being upset with him," the console hummed, "But could you please forgive him? Just until we've charged you at least, hmm?"

After a moment, the console hummed again and the Doctor let out a sigh of relief, pulling a lever, dematerializing.

_**I this is a little earlier then I planned to post this but it's my birthday and I was in such a good mood that I couldn't help myself. Sadly, I won't be able to post the next chapter for a bit because I have so much homework and catch up work to do that it isn't funny, not to mention a test coming up but I promise to start writing it as soon as I can, hopefully before the weekend. I hope you liked it, please review :)**_


	23. Chapter 23 Utopia part 1

_**Utopia, part 1.**_

The Doctor and the Hatter landed the TARDIS in Cardiff, just in front of the Roald Dahl Plass while Martha watched the Time Lords rush around the console.

"Cardiff," the Doctor grinned, flicking a switch.

"Cardiff?" Martha exclaimed, clearly expecting something else.

"Cardiff's not that bad," the Hatter said, giving Martha amused look, "Besides, it's built on a rift in time and space. Think of it like California and San Andreas Fault. The rift bleeds energy…" she trailed off, "And other things, not very nice things at times".

"Every now and then we need to open up the engines," the Doctor started explaining, taking over from the Hatter as she looked thoughtful at the scanner, "And soak up the energy and use it as fuel".

"So it's a pit spot," Martha nodded, smiling.

"Exactly," the Doctor gave her a nod, "Should only take twenty seconds," he frowned, glancing at the Hatter, "The rifts been active".

"Yes, I noticed," the Time Lady nodded, frowning before shrugging, "Whatever happened it looks like it was all sorted out, though".

"Wait a minute…" Martha frowned, looking at the Doctor and the Hatter, "They had an Earthquake in Cardiff a couple years ago. Was that you?"

"Not me," the Hatter replied absentmindedly as she continued to stare at the scanner screen, "I wasn't around then, shame to, the ninth Doctor is the only one I haven't meet before".

"Hmm," the Doctor nodded, grimacing slightly as he thought back to his past adventure, "Bit of trouble with the Slitheen. Long time ago. Lifetimes. I was a different man back then," the TARDIS hummed and he smiled, "Finito. All powered up".

The Hatter flicked a switch on the monitor and blinked a few times when she saw a man dressed in a WWII coat running toward them, "Doctor dear," she called, a moment later the Doctor appeared beside, "He looks like he recognizes the TARDIS. Do you know him by any chance?" She glanced at his face and almost did a double take when he saw him staring at the man, looking panicked, "Doctor?" she asked, sounding concerned.

The Doctor shook his head, grabbing her hand tightly. The TARDIS suddenly sparked and jolted, sending them flying toward the floor.

"Whoa!" Martha shouted, pulling herself up on the console as the Doctor and the Hatter quickly looked at the monitor, "What was that?"

The console sparked again, causing them to duck as the Doctor and the Hatter stared at the screen, reading the rapid Gallifreyan, both growing more and more worried as they read.

"We're accelerating…" the Doctor answered, eyes widening, "Into the future. The year one billion. Five billion. Five trillion. Fifty trillion," he blinked, "What? The year one-hundred trillion!" he looked at the Hatter, "That's impossible!"

"No, just very unlikely," the Hatter shook her head, "Sort of".

"Why?" Martha asked, looking at the Doctor, "What happens then?"

"We're going to the end of the Universe," the Time Lords both said at the same time, looking extremely serious, a moment later the TARDIS landed with a thud, making them sway slightly before settling.

They looked at each other, "Well, we've landed," the Doctor breathed, looking concerned.

"So what's out there?" Martha asked nervously, casting a glance toward the doors.

"I don't know," the Doctor admitted, glancing at the Hatter, "Hatter?"

"Neither," she shook her head, looking very concerned.

"Say that again," Martha breathed, looking scared, "That's rare".

"Not even Time Lords came this far," the Hatter told her, "We should leave".

The Doctor nodded, "We should go. We should really, really…go…" he looked at the girls before grinning, gabbing the Hatter's hand and running towards the door, stepping out.

The outside was exactly how they had pictured it, cold, bleak, a grim landscape with nothing but a man's body lying a few feet away from them.

"Oh my God!" Martha shouted, running over to the man as the Hatter tried to move around the Doctor who had stepped in front of her, but he only forced her back, "Can't get a pulse. Hold on…you've got that medical kit thing," she dashed past them and back inside the TARDIS.

"Doctor," the Hatter smacked his arm enough to make him move it but not hard enough to hurt, quickly moving away from him and looked at the man's body.

The Doctor sighed, stepping forward, "Hello," he said down to the body, "Oh, I'm sorry".

"Okay, now I'm confused," the Hatter frowned, blinking a few times as if she was looking at something bright, "What…" she shook her head, quickly looking back to the Doctor, "Please explain".

"Do I need to?" he asked, she frowned again, glancing back to the man before it hit her.

"No," she groaned when he nodded his head, "Oh, Doctor, why do I ever let you out without me?"

"Here we go!" Martha called, running back to them, pushing the Doctor out of the way as she kneeled beside the body, "Out of the way," she frowned as she looked at the man, "It's a bit odd, though. Not very one-hundred trillion…" she nodded to the coat, "That coat's more like World War II".

"I think he came with us," the Doctor replied, the Hatter rubbed her eyes as she tried to avoid looking directly at the man, it didn't help very much as every cell in her body told her to run but she knew that she would get used to it.

"How d'you mean?" Martha asked, "From Earth?"

"Must've been clinging to the outside of the TARDIS," the Doctor said, glancing back to the TARDIS, "All the way through the Vortex," the Hatter looked slightly impressed, "Well, that's very him".

"What?" Martha blinked, looking shocked, "Do you know him?"

The Doctor nodded, "Friend of mine. Used to travel with me. Back in the old days".

Martha glanced back to the man before looking back to the Doctor, regretfully, "But he's…I'm sorry, there's no heartbeat. There's nothing. He's dead".

Suddenly, the man gasped loudly, grabbing hold of Martha, making her scream in shock and surprise, the Hatter glanced at the Doctor who sighed and pulled her behind his back, giving her a warning look not to argue to which she rolled her eyes but did as he told.

"Oh well, so much for me," Martha shook her head, eyes still wide with shock as she tried to sooth the man, "It's alright. Just breathe deep. I've got you now".

"Captain Jake Harkness," the man introduced as soon as he saw Martha, shaking her hand, the Doctor sighed as the Hatter felt him tense slightly, wondering why, "And who are you?"

"Martha Jones," Martha smiled, looking slightly flushed.

"Nice to meet you, Martha Jones," Jack smiled at her.

"Oh, don't start!" the Doctor said loudly, rolling his eyes.

"I was just saying hello".

"I don't mind," Martha shook her head, glancing at the Doctor before helping Jack to stand.

"Yes, Doctor," the Hatter cut in, shaking her head as she stepped around the Doctor, crossing her arms as she looked at him, "I don't see any reason why Martha Jones and, according to you, your ex companion can't…flirt".

"Hatter," the Doctor groaned, "I told you to stay behind me".

"Oh, did you?" the Hatter pretend to think about it before slowly shaking her head, "No, sorry, I don't think you did. Maybe it got lost in the mail, sweetheart".

"And who are you?" Jack asked, eyeing the Hatter, making the Doctor growl and pull her toward him.

"Why do I suddenly feel like I'm going to be in a tug of war?" the Hatter sighed, rolling her eyes at Martha who laughed.

"Don't you dare, Harkness," the Doctor warned, tightening his grip on the Hatter's hand, "I…"

"I think the Hatter can make up her own mind, thank you very much," the Hatter cut him off, giving a half amused, half annoyed look to the Doctor, "Now, Jack, was is?" Jack nodded, smiling at her as the Doctor blinked, "I don't believe I have introduced myself properly. I'm the Hatter".

"The Hatter…" Jack repented, eyes widened as he looked between the Time Lords, "You don't me like…the Doctor?"

"Last Time Lady in existence?" the Hatter nodded, shrugging the Doctor off and holding out her hand for Jack, "A pleasure to meet you, Captain".

Jack smirked, taking her hand and kissed the back of it, "Oh, the _pleasure_ is all mine," the Hatter blinked, looking slightly taken back as the Doctor glared at the other man, pulling the Hatter away from him, "I've read the files on you from Unite but they never mentioned how beautifully you are".

The Hatter blinked, "Well, I guess I should have seen that coming from the stories the Doctor's told me about you, Captain," she remarked, looking surprised as she shook her head, turning to the Doctor and giving him a small smile, "Jealous, my sweetheart?"

The Doctor scoffed, "Off him? Never".

"Have I ever told you how bad you can be at lying?" the Hatter smiled, laughing slightly as the Doctor coughed, looking away.

After a moment, Jack looked at the Doctor, turning cold, "Doctor".

"Captain," the Doctor replied just as cold.

"Good to see you," the other man nodded.

"And you. Same as ever…although…have you had work done?"

Jack raised his eyebrows, "You can talk!"

"Oh yes, the face," the Doctor nodded, gesturing to himself, "Regeneration. How did you know this was me?"

"The police box kinda gives it away. I've been following you for a long time. You abandoned me".

The Hatter and Martha exchanged looks.

"Did I?" the Doctor sniffed slightly, "Busy life. Move on".

"Just gotta ask," Jack shook his head, "The Battle of Canary Wharf…I saw the list of the dead. It said Rose Tyler…"

"Oh no!" the Doctor brightened, "Sorry! She's alive!"

"You're kidding?" Jack blinked.

"Parallel world safe and sound," the Doctor grinned, making Jack smile, "And Mickey! And her mother!"

"Good old Jackie Tyler," the Hatter smiled quietly, leaning over to whisper to Martha, "I wish you could have meet Mickey, though. I have a feeling the two of you might have got along".

"Oh yes!" Jack grinned, jolting forward and hugging the Doctor, both laughing happily.

Martha and the Hatter watched, smiling.

…

The Doctor, the Hatter, Martha, and Jack walked down a small hill as they tried to find something that might tell them where they were while Jack told Martha about himself. The Hatter listened from up the front were she was walking hand in hand with the Doctor.

"So there I was," Jack told them, "Stranded in the year 200-100, ankle deep in Dalek dust, and he goes off without me," the Hatter gave the Doctor a look which he pointedly ignored, or tried to, anyway, "But I had this," Jack tapped a device strapped to his wrist, "I used to be a Time Agent. It's called a Vortex Manipulator. He's not the only one who can time travel".

"Oh, excuse me," the Doctor scoffed, looking over his shoulder, "_That_ is not time travel. It's like I've a sports car and you've got a space hopper".

The Hatter started smiling as Martha laughed, "Boys and their toys".

"Personally, I've always found a Vortex Manipulator cheap and nasty why of travel," the Hatter shrugged, glancing over her shoulder, "I mean, I admit that it's impressive that a group of humans managed it but it just doesn't have the same style that a…" she looked pointedly at the Doctor, "…well flown TARDIS has. But I admit that they can be very useful even if they are….bumpy".

"Alright, so I bounce," Jack admitted, smiling slightly as he turned back to Martha, "I thought '21st century, best place to find the Doctor' except that I got it a little wrong. I arrived in 1869 and this thing burnt out so it was useless…"

"Told you," the Doctor called over his shoulder, the Hatter shook her head at him.

"I had to live through the entire 20th century waiting for a version of you," Jack continued, nodding to the Doctor, "That would coincide with me".

Martha's eyes widened, "That makes you more than 100 years old".

"And looking good, doncha think?" Jack grinned at her, winking before turning serious, "So I went to the time rift, based myself there, 'cos I knew you'd come back to refuel. Until, finally, I get a signal on this," he gestured to his backpack on his back, "Detecting you and here we are".

"But the thing is, how come you left him behind, Doctor?" Martha frowned, looking toward the Time Lords.

"I was busy," the Doctor shrugged but the Hatter knew the real reason and she may have understood, but that didn't mean she agreed.

"Is that what happens, though?" Martha raised her eyebrows, "Seriously? Do you just get bored with us one day and disappear?"

"Not if you're blonde," Jack remarked.

"There's nothing wrong with being blonde," the Hatter shook her head, "I was blonde twice and as if happens, the Doctor was too".

But Martha didn't hear her, "Oh, she was blonde?" she said sarcastically, "Oh what a surprise?"

The Doctor suddenly whirled around, pulling the Hatter with him and faced Martha and Jack, snapping, "You two! We're at the end of the Universe. Alright? We're on the edge of knowledge itself and you're busy…blogging!"

"Calm down, Doctor," the Hatter said gently, putting a hand on his arm, "Think of the good times not the bad, hmm? Do you remember saying that to me? Now, let's focus on the matter at hand and not the past. Come on, ladies and gentlemen".

She took the Doctor's hand and led them toward the edge of the canyon, looking down to see the remains of what appeared to be some sort of city. Bridges, roads, and caves could still be seen, carved into the rock.

"Is that a city?" Martha asked, looking down, curiously.

"A city or a hive," the Doctor nodded, "Or a nest. Or a…."

"It's a conglomeration," the Hatter cut in, smiling, "I spent five years studying cities like this, one of the dullest and yet strangely interesting subject I ever took in school," Martha and Jack looked at her, "I went through a bit of a phase of wanting to be an architect," the Doctor coughed, trying to cover up a laugh, "Hey, don't you laugh Mr-I-want-to-be-a-mountain-climber."

The Doctor blushed, looking slightly guilty, "I still feel bad about that trip".

"What trip?" Martha asked.

"When the Doctor and I were twenty five," the Hatter explained, "My parents requested that I spend the two week break with them at my family's estate and they also asked that I bring the Doctor to introduce them. If that wasn't bad enough, all, save for two of my cousins would also visiting. We spent a week, the Doctor and I, trying to get away from them when the Doctor came up with the idea to go mounting climbing".

"One of the biggest mistakes I have ever made," the Doctor winced, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Agreed," the Hatter nodded, "Anyway, the first three hours were good, we were almost at the top when I slipped and ended up hitting my head on a very sharp rock. Next thing I know, I'm waking up a week later. Apparently my body had put its self into a healing coma, luckily too. If it hadn't, I wouldn't be standing here today telling the story," she pointed to a spot on the side of her head, just on her temple, "I had a lovely but luckily faint scar there until I regenerated".

"I was terrified," the Doctor muttered, taking the Hatter's hand and kissing the back of it, "I thought…"

"I know and I don't blame you, my dear," the Hatter quickly said, kissing his cheek, "Aside from almost dying, it was a brilliant adventure," she smiled before turning back to Jack and Martha, "Anyway, back to what I was saying before, It appears to have been grown".

"But look there," the Doctor pointed down, "That's like pathways; roads…must have been some sort of life. Long ago".

"What killed it?" Martha questioned, frowning.

"The age old curse," the Hatter sighed sadly, "Time. Just…time. Everything's dying now. All the great civilization have gone," she glanced up at the dark sky, "This isn't just night. All the stars have burned up and just faded away into nothing".

"It must have an atmospheric shell," Jack remarked, "We should have frozen to death".

"Well, Martha, the Hatter, and I, maybe," the Doctor commented, eyeing Jack, knowingly, "Not sure about you, Jack".

"What about the people?" Martha asked, looking at the city sadly, "Does no one survive?"

"I suppose we have to hope," the Doctor replied, "Life will find a way".

"Well, he's not doin' too bad," Jack said, pointing toward a young man who was running along a pathway on the side of the canyon, a group of people all holding torches chasing after the man as he seemed to run for his life.

"Is it me or does that look like a hunt?" the Doctor asked before grabbing the Hatter's hand, running after the man, "Come on!"

The group ran down the hill, following one of the pathways while Jack laughed, "Oh, I've missed this!" they ran around a corner, the shouts from the hunt party growing louder and louder with every step, they quickly reached the bottom of the hill were Jack grabbed the terrified man, "I've got you".

"We've gotta run!" the man shouted, panting heavily as he looked back to the hunt, terrified, "They're coming! They're coming!"

The Hatter quickly pulled the man away from Jack, trying to calm him as Jack pulled out his revolver, aiming it at the hunt party.

"Jack, don't you dare!" both the Doctor and the Hatter shouted, seeing what he was about to do.

Jack hesitated, glancing over his shoulder before firing into the air, making the hunt party stop.

"What the hell are they?" Martha gasped, seeing the tribal tattoos on hunter's faces and hands, along with their sharpened teeth.

"Humans, I think," the Hatter replied, eyeing them, "Or they were once upon a time".

"There's more of them," the man cried, shacking all over, "We've got to keep going".

"We've got a ship nearby," the Doctor told the man, "It's safe. It's not far, it's just over…" the Hatter shook her head and pointed over to the way they had just came, showing him more hunters quickly approaching, "Or maybe not…"

"I'm going with not," the Hatter sighed.

"We're close to the silo," the man told them, "If we get to the silo, then we're safe".

"Silo?" the Doctor asked, looking at Jack, Martha, and the Hatter.

"Do you even have to ask?" the Hatter shook her head.

"Silo," Jack nodded.

"Silo for me," Martha held up her hand in agreement.

And with that, the five of them took off running as fast as they could toward the silo, quickly followed by the hunters.

…

The group of five quickly arrived at a gated off area, throwing themselves on it in there desperation to get to safety as the hunters continued to run after them.

"It's the Future-kind!" the man shouted to the guards, "Open the gate!"

"Show me your teeth!" one of the guards ordered, running over to the gate, holding a gun, "Show me your teeth! Show me your teeth!"

"What?" the Doctor asked, looking confused.

"Show them your teeth!" the man told them.

Jack, the Doctor, the Hatter, and Martha exchanged looks but quickly bared their teeth at the guard, showing normal teeth.

"Humans!" the guard nodded, "Let 'em in! let 'em in!" a couple of other guards helped to open the gates, letting the small group run through, "Close! Close! Close!" the guards quickly closed the gates and the first guard fired his gun at the ground before the Future-kind, forcing them to stop.

"Humans," one of the Future-kind hissed, glaring at them through the metal, "Humani. Make feast".

"Go back to where you came from," the first guard told them, aiming his gun as the man who seemed to be the leader as he moved forward, "I said back! go back!"

"Oh, don't tell him to put down his gun," Jack rolled his eyes, glancing at the Doctor.

"He's not my responsibility," the Doctor shrugged.

"And I am?" Jack scoffed, "That makes a change".

"Boys, now really isn't the time," the Hatter sighed, giving them both stern looks, "Maybe later the two of you can fight but there's more important thing happening right now".

"Kind watch you," the Future-kind leader pointed at them, "Kind hungry," a moment later he gave the signal to his tribe to back away, admitting defeat.

"Thanks for that," the Doctor said to the guard as he past him.

"Yeah, I'm not sure how much longer Marta was going to last," the Hatter nodded, casting Martha a half amused, half concerned look after she noticed Martha had been lagging behind as they ran, "To bad there wasn't any rats…"

Martha groaned, "One time and now you're never going to let me forget it".

"What sort of friend would I be if I didn't?" the Hatter grinned, linking her arm through the Doctor's.

"Right," the guard said, cutting off what Martha was about to say, "Let's get you inside".

The man that they had saved from the Future-kind ran over to the guard, "My name is Padrafet Shafekane," he told the man, "Please tell me, can you take me to Utopia?"

"Oh yes, sir," the guard grinned, "Yes, I can".

And with that, they were led into a large tunnel that had been carved into the mountain, leading into the silo.

…

"It's a box," the Doctor was trying to explain to the main guard as they stood at the base of the silo, "A big blue box. I'm sorry, but we really need it back. It's stuck out there".

"I'm sorry," Padrafet interrupted, looking desperate, "But my family were heading for the silo. Did they get here? My mother is Kistane Shafekane. My brother is Beltone".

"The computers are down but I can check the paperwork," the guard told him, the Doctor and the Hatter glanced at each other, wondering if they could fix it, "Creet!" the man called and a boy no older than 10 appeared, pocking his head around the corner, "Passenger needs help".

"Right," Creet nodded, walking over to them with a clipboard, "What d'you need?"

Padrafet hurried over to the boy, looking down at the clipboard as he searched for his family while the guard turned back to the Doctor, "A blue box, you said?"

"Yes," the Hatter nodded, "Big, tall, wooden, says 'Police'".

The guard nodded slowly, "We're driving out for a last water collection. I'll see what I can do".

"Thank you," both Time Lords said gratefully as the man turned and walked away.

"Come on," Creet was saying to Padrafet, leading him away.

"Excuse me," the Hatter called, frowning slightly as she looked at Creet as they followed him down a corridor, "I know this might be an odd question but how old are you?"

"Old enough to work," he replied, "This way," they continued to follow him as he led them down a corridor lined with people, all appearing to be camping out, calling out for Padrafet's family, "Kistane Shafekane. Kistane Shafekane. Kistane and Beltone Shafekane? Looking for a Kistane and Beltone Shafekane!"

"The Shafekanes anyone?" Padra called, looking around as they past people.

"Anyone? Kistane and Beltone Shafekane? Anyone know the Shefkane family? Anyone called Shafekane?"

"It's like a refugee camp," Martha said, looking around at all the people, sadly.

"Sticking," Jack remarked, passing a large man who glared at him, the Hatter shook her head, "Oh, sorry. No offence".

"Don't you see?" the Doctor asked, grinning madly as he linked his arm through the Hatter's, "The ripe old smell of humans. You survived. Oh, much better than a million years evolving into clouds of gas. And then another million as downloads, but you always revert to the same basic shape".

"The fundamental humans," the Hatter added, smiling at Martha and Jack.

"Kistane Shafekane!" Creet called again.

"End of the Universe and here you are!" the Doctor grinned, turning to the Hatter and saying at the same time, "Indomitable!"

"I love that word, I really do," the Hatter laughed, high fiving the Doctor who grinned excitedly.

"Brilliant!" he laughed, "Indomitable! Ha!" he spun around and kissed the Hatter on her forehead, "Dame Hatter, your Indomitable!"

"I could say the same for you, Doctor," the Hatter laughed, shaking her head.

"Is there a Kistane Shafekane?" Creet called.

A women at the end of the hall stood, "That's me!" she court sight of Padrafet and gasped.

"Mother?" Padrafet breathed, running past the group and toward his mother.

"Oh my God," his mother gasped, almost crying as another man stood up beside her, obviously his brother.

"Beltone?" Padrafet ran toward his family, throwing his arms around them in a hug.

"It's not all bad news," Martha smiled, glancing over to the Hatter to see her watching the scene with a small smile of her own.

"Oh I do love a happy ending," the Hatter remarked softly.

"Captain Jack Harkness," Jack introduced himself to a handsome man who was walking past, shaking his hand, "And who are you?"

"Stop it," the Doctor called to him, focusing on trying open a door, the Hatter quickly shook her head and joined him, "Give us a hand with this?"

Jack sighed and reluctantly let go of the man's hand, joining the Doctor, the Hatter, and Martha at the door.

"Oh let me, Doctor," the Hatter shook her head, swatting his hand away from the controls and taking out her own sonic before leaning closer to examine it, "Hmm, its half deadlock…"

"Will you be able to open it?" the Doctor asked, watching her.

The Hatter glanced at him, grinning, "Give me a minute while I try and overwrite it," Jack blinked, looking impressed and slightly surprised; "You look surprise, Captain".

"Sorry, I'm still trying to get my head around two of you," he shook his head, watching as the two Time Lords worked.

"Let's find out where we are," the Doctor muttered, suddenly the door slid open and he let out a startled yell, almost falling into the silo.

Jack and the Hatter grabbed the back of his jacket, pulling him back, "Gotcha".

"Are you alright, Doctor?" the Hatter asked, looking concerned as he nodded.

"Yeah, thanks," the Doctor nodded to both her and Jack.

"How did you cope without me?" Jack asked half joking.

"I've had my Hatter," the Doctor grinned at her, making her blush before they turned back to the door, looking in.

"Now_ that_ is what I call a rocket," Martha's eyes winded as she spotted the giant rocket standing inside.

"They're not refuges, they're passengers!" the Doctor exclaimed in realization.

"He said they were going to Utopia," Martha remembered.

"The perfect place," the Hatter nodded, glancing at Jack and Martha, "100 trillion years may have past but it's still the same old dream".

"Do you recognize those engines?" the Doctor asked, looking at the Hatter and Jack.

"Nope," Jack shook his head.

"It's hard to tell from all the way up here," the Hatter sighed, looking thoughtful, "But I have an odd feeling that I should know this or at least some of the technology".

"Whatever it is, it's not rocket science," Jack sighed, "But it's hot, though".

"Boiling," the Doctor and the Hatter nodded, stepping back from the door as Jack closed it, "But if the Universe is falling apart, what does Utopia mean?"

A moment later an older man dressed in black pants, a white poet sleeve shirt, and a dark red waistcoat ran over to them, looking slightly flustered as he looked between Jack and the Doctor before settling on Jack, "The Doctor?"

The Hatter coughed, covering up a laugh as she patted the Doctors arm, "Sorry, this is the Doctor, that's Jack".

"And you must be the Hatter," the man shouted in excitement, looking delighted as he took the Doctor and the Hatter's arms, pulling them away and down the hall, "Good! Good. Good. Good. Good. Good. Good. Good. Good. Good".

The Doctor looked over his shoulder to Martha and Jack, looking amused, "It's good apparently".

Martha and Jack exchanged looks, following after them.

…

"Chan-welcome-tho," a blue, insect-like alien greeted as the older man pulled them through a door and into a large laboratory.

"_Doctor, how did he know my name before anyone told him?" _the Hatter asked telepathically, glancing at the older man, thoughtfully, "_I mean, the name Hatter is hardly_ _anything that could led back to being important. One of the reasons I picked it"._

"_Maybe someone overheard you saying something," _the Doctor replied, sounding slightly unsure but before the Hatter could reply, the older man pulled them over to a piece of equipment.

"This is the gravitissimal accelerator," he explained, showing them more equipment, "It's part of the…"

"Chan-welcome-tho," the blue alien continued to great Martha and Jack at the door.

"And over here is the footprint impellor system. If you know anything about end time gravity…"

"Hello," Martha smiled at the alien, looking slightly curies, "Who are you?"

"Chan-Chantho-tho," the alien introduced, smiling.

"But we can't get it to harmonize!" the older man finished as the Doctor pulled out his glasses and put them on, watching while the Hatter examined the device.

"Captain Jack Harkness," Jack greeted Chantho with a flirty tone.

"Stop it!" the Doctor and the Hatter called, not looking up.

"Can't I say hello to anyone?"

"Chan-I do not protest-tho," Chantho said, smiling over her shoulder at the Doctor and the Hatter before looking back to Jack.

"Maybe later, Blue," Jack winked at her, making her become rather shy, "So, what have we got here?"

Martha frowned as she heard something coming from Jack's bag, following after him as he walked into another room.

"And all this feeds into the rocket?" the Doctor asked, looking up and other to the older man.

"Yeah," the older man nodded, sighing, "Except without a stable footprint we'll never achieve escape velocity," the Hatter nodded along with his words, "If only we could harmonize the five impact patterns and unify them," he glanced around at the equipment before looking back to them, "Well, we might yet make it. What do you think, Doctor, Hatter? Any ideas?"

"Well, um, basically…." The Doctor moved around in a small circle, thinking, "…sort of…not a clue".

"Nothing?" the older man asked, looking disappointed.

"I'm not from around these parts," the Doctor sighed, shaking his head, "I've never seen a system like it. Sorry," he looked toward the Hatter, "Hatter?"

"Maybe," she said, looking thoughtful before sighing, "I'm sorry, like the Doctor said, I don't think I've ever seen something like this".

The older man sighed, nodding, "No, no. I'm sorry. It's my fault. There's been so little help…"

The Hatter shook her head and put a hand on his arm, "Don't talk like that," the man looked up as she gave him a small smile, "Just because we've never seen something like this doesn't mean we can't get it to work. The Doctor and I will do everything that we can to try and get it to work".

"You remind me of someone," the old man said, sounding thoughtful as he looked off into the distance, "We haven't met before by any chance?"

"I don't think so," the Hatter shook her head, shrugging, "Or though, I do live a pretty busy life so we may have".

"Oh my God!" Martha gasped, cutting off whatever the old man was going to say. They looked toward her to see her pulling a large jar with a hand in it from out of Jack's backpack, "You've got a hand. A hand in a jar. A hand in a jar in your bag".

"That's…that's my hand!" the Doctor exclaimed, eyes widening slightly as he walked over to the table with the others.

"You have got to be kidding me," the Hatter sighed, grimacing slightly as she eyed the jar, "Don't tell me that this is the hand that you told me about".

"I said I had a Doctor detector," Jack shrugged, smiling.

"Chan-is this a tradition amongst your people-tho?" Chantho asked, looking confused.

"Not on my street," Martha shook her head, looking at the Doctor, "What d'you mean that's _your_ hand? You're got both your hands, I can see them".

"Long story," the Doctor said, thinking back to that day, "I lost my hand Christmas Day. In a swordfight".

"Wasn't that the same fight that you said you wished I had been there?" the Hatter asked, looking at the Doctor, "Something about me being a good sword fighter in my fourth body?"

The Doctor nodded, smiling, "Yep".

"What?" Martha blinked, trying to laugh it off, "And you grew another hand?"

"Um yeah," he nodded, "Yeah I did, Yeah," Martha quickly lost her smile as he waved his fingers at her, "Hello".

"Might I ask what species are you?" the old man asked, eyeing the Doctor.

The Doctor leaned back, linking his arm through the Hatter's, "Time Lord".

"Both of us, I might add," the Hatter cut in.

"Last of," the Doctor continued, "Heard of them?" the man and Chantho looked back at him blankly, "Legend or anything? Not even a myth?" still only blank looks, "Blimey, end of the Universe is a bit humbling".

The Hatter laughed, rolling her eyes, "The day the Doctor becomes humble will be the day I forget what one plus one is".

The Doctor playfully flicked the tip of her nose.

"Chan-it is said that I am the last of my species too-tho," Chantho told them.

"Sorry, what was your name?" the Doctor asked, looking at her, the Hatter hit the back of his head as she shook her head at him.

"My assistant and good friend, Chantho," the older man introduced, "A survivor of the Malmooth. This was their planet, Malcassairo, before we took refuge".

"The city outside, that was yours?" the Doctor asked the women.

"Chan-the conglomeration died-tho".

"Conglomeration!" the Doctor grinned, rising his hand for the Hatter to high five, "Just like you said!"

"Doctor, do you want me to hit you?" the Hatter asked, glaring at him, "You're supposed to say sorry. You should know that more so than anyone else".

"Oh, yes," the Doctor winced at her glare, looking back to the other women, "Sorry".

"Chan-most grateful-tho".

"You grew another hand?" Martha breathed, still staring at the jar in disbelief.

The Doctor smiled, wiggling his fingers at her again, "Hello again. It's fine. Look. Really, it's me," he held out his hand and shook hers.

"All this time and you're still full of surprises," Martha laughed nervously as the Hatter started laughing with her.

"Chan-you are most unusual-tho," Chantho smiled slightly.

"Well…" the Doctor shrugged.

"You don't know the half of it," the Hatter smiled as she moved out of the way of his elbow.

"So what about these things outside?" Jack asked, looking at the old man, "The beastie boys. What are they?"

"We call them the Future-kind," the older man told them, "Which is a myth in itself, but, ah, it is feared they are what we will become. Unless we reach Utopia".

"And Utopia is…" the Doctor and the Hatter trailed off.

"Oh, every human knows of Utopia," the man laughed, "Where have you been?"

"Bit of a hermit," the Doctor shrugged, the Hatter quickly nodded.

"A hermit with friends?"

"Hermits United," the Hatter smiled slightly as she remembered the Doctor taking her to meet a hermit who lived behind his home when they were children, "We meet up every ten years or so".

The Doctor nodded, catching on, "We swap stories about caves. It's good fun…for a hermit," he quickly became serious, "So, um, Utopia?"

The older man looked at them, clearly unconvinced by their story before he crooked his finger at them and led them over to a computer, a navigational chart with a small red, blinking dot on it.

_**I'm sorry about the wait but I've school and then some high school drama on top of that. I'll try to update sooner but I can't make any promise. On to a much happier note, my first story: 'Finding the last Timelady' has hit over 17,000 hits. I almost had a heart attack when I realised, I defiantly never thought that would happen when I started writing and all I can say is…I'm speechless, something that doesn't happen often. I've been trying to think of an actress who looks like that Hatter because I've been thinking of making a YouTube video for a while but I can't think of one, I would love some help on this. I hope you liked it, please review :)**_


	24. Chapter 24 Utopia part 2

_**TarretHatter: Thank you so much, my family are a lot better now but it will never be the same again. The death of my nephew really made us relies how short life can be and it still shooks us all to this day that it happened in the first place. Thank you once again.**_

_**SunshineReaves: I'm glad you like my choice of name; it took me ages to think of it when it suddenly hit me while I was reading over some of my past chapters. Also, I agree with you on pears, they may not be my favourite fruit like apples or strawberry's but I still like them. I try to make my OCs different from me as much as I can. Thanks for the review.**_

…

_**Utopia, part 2.**_

"The call came from across the stars," the older man explained to them, showing the map with the flashing red dot that appeared to show Utopia on it, "Over and over again. Come to Utopia. Originated from that point".

"Where is that?" the Doctor and the Hatter asked, frowning.

"Oh it's far beyond the Codensate Wilderness," the man shook his head, "Out towards the wild lands and the dark matter reefs. Calling us in. the last of the humans. Scattered across the night".

"What do you think's out there?" the Doctor asked, looking curiously at the older man.

"I don't know," the man shrugged, "A colony, a city, some sort of haven? The Science Foundation created the Utopia Project thousands of years ago to preserve mankind, to find a way of surviving beyond the collapse of reality itself. Now perhaps they found it. Perhaps not. But it's not worth a look, don't you think?"

The Doctor and the Hatter looked at each other, grinning as they turned back to the man, "Oh yes".

"And the signal keeps modulating, so it's not automatic," the Hatter continued, nodding thoughtfully, "It's a pretty good sign. It's more likely that someone's out there. And…"

"And that's…ohh," the Doctor cut her off, "That's a navigation matrix, isn't it? So you can fly without stars to guide you," he opened his mouth to continued but the Hatter clapped her hand over it, nodding to the older man who was clearly in pain, his face crutched up in pain, "Professor? Professor?"

The Hatter gave the Doctor an odd look, trying to think back to remember if the man had ever told them who he was, as she did, she caught Martha and Jacks eyes as they looked back just as confused.

"I…" the man's eyes snapped open as he jumped, clearing his throat, "Right, that's enough talk. There's work to do. Now if you could leave. Thank you," he turned away from them and began fiddling with a piece of equipment.

"Are you quit sure?" the Hatter asked gently, stepping beside him as she looked at him in concern.

"Yes," the Professor said a little too quickly, "I'm fine!" he gave the Doctor and the Hatter a pointed look, "And busy!"

The Doctor and the Hatter exchanged looks, glancing back to the man, "Except that rocket's not going to fly, is it?" the Doctor asked, already knowing the answer as he turned around, "This footprint mechanism things, it's not working".

"We'll find a way!" the Professor exclaimed, looking back to the Doctor.

"You're stuck on this planet, yes?" the Hatter said sadly, "And you haven't told them yet, have you? They still think that they're going to fly".

"Well, it's better to let them live in hope," the Professor sighed.

"Quite right, too," the Doctor nodded, "And I must say, Professor…" he shrugged his coat off, tossing it the Hatter who rolled her eyes at him, tossing the coat toward Jack, "Um, what was it?"

"Yana".

"Professor Yana," the Hatter smiled, giving the Doctor a small wink as she started talking, "Now, this new science is very different from what I usually work with, nor is it something I have seen before…"

"Which is saying something," the Doctor cut in, grinning almost smugly as she blushed.

"Yes, thank you, Doctor," she gave him a look, rolling her eyes slightly before turning back to Yana, continuing, "As I was saying, all the same, a boost reversal circuit, in any time frame, must be a circuit which reverses the boost. So, I wonder, what would happen if I did this?" she picked up the circuit, pulling out her sonic from her pocket and gave it a flash before flicking the switch, giving them power.

"Chan-it's working-tho!" Chantho gasped in amazement, looking around as lights flashed and a siren went off.

Yana's mouth dropped, "But how did you do that?"

"Oh, we've been chatting away," the Doctor grinned, nudging the Hatter in her side as she rolled her eyes, already expecting him to say something, "I forgot to tell you, the Hatter's brilliant".

…

"All passages prepare for immediate boarding," the loudspeaker announced throughout the silo while everyone rushed about inside the lab, "I repeat, all passengers prepare for immediate boarding. Destination: Utopia. All troops fall back to the silo. I repeat, all troops fall back to the silo. I repeat, all passengers prepare for immediate boarding".

The Doctor and the Hatter were looking at a large, clear circuit board in the middle of the lad while Professor Yana stood off to the side, watching them as they connected the wires.

"Is this…" the Doctor asked, fiddling with a piece of wire as he gave it a sniff.

"Yes, gluten extract," Yana said as the Hatter nodded, looking impressed.

"It binds the neutrino map together," the Hatter said, Yana glanced at her and smiled.

"But that's food," the Doctor shook his head, looking amazed; "You've built this system out of food and string and staples. Professor Yana, you're a genius!"

"I second that," the Hatter added, smiling at the man.

"Says the people who made it work," Yana chuckled.

"Ooh…it's easy coming in at the end but…you're stellar," the Doctor seemed to gush, the Hatter nodding along with him, "This is…this is magnificent. I don't often say that 'co…well, 'cos of me," he cast a proud look at the Hatter, "Not to mention my brilliant Hatter".

"I really wish you wouldn't talk about me like that, Doctor," she shook her head at him before raising her eyebrows, "And I didn't realizes that I was _your_ Hatter".

"You've always been my Hatter," the Doctor grinned, winking as he kissed her cheek.

Professor Yana smiled as he watched them, clearing his throat slightly, making them look at him, "Well, even my title is an affectation. There hasn't been such a thing as a university for over a thousand years. I've spent my life going from one refugee ship to another".

"You know, Professor Yana," the Hatter said, "If you had been born in a different time, you would have been revered," Yana only chuckled, shaking his head, "No, I really do mean it. Throughout the galaxies".

"Oh, those damned galaxies," Yana shook his head, "They had to go and collapse. Some admiration would have been nice. Just a little. Just once".

"Well, you most certainly have that now," the Hatter smiled before slowly losing it, looking concerned, "But that footprint engine…" she trailed off before shrugging, "Whatever you want to call it can't be activated from on-board. It has to be from here".

"You're staying behind," the Doctor finished.

"With Chantho," Yana nodded, "She won't leave without me. Simply refuses".

"You would give your life so they could fly," the Doctor said quietly.

"That's very brave of you, Professor," the Hatter said softly.

"Oh, I think I'm a little old for Utopia," Yana shook his head, "Time I had some sleep".

"Professor Yana," they all looked up as a guard called over the loudspeaker, "Tell the Doctor and the Hatter we've found there blue box!"

The Doctor and the Hatter grinned, high fiving each other happily, "Ah!"

"Doctor," Jack called from where he was standing in front of the monitor, "Hatter".

The Doctor, the Hatter, and Yana joined him a moment later, looking at the TARDIS now standing in the middle of the silo.

The Doctor grinned, patting Yana's shoulder, "Professor, it's a wild stab in the dark, but we may have just found you a way out," and with that, he turned and hurried out of the room with the Hatter quickly follow, neither noticing Yana staring at the TARDIS, painfully.

A moment later, the TARDIS appeared in the corner of the room and the Doctor and the Hatter ran out, pulling a long cable along with them, "Extra power," they both replied at the look Jack gave them.

"Little bit of a cheat," the Doctor grinned as he plugged the end into an outlet, "But who's counting? Jack, you're in charge of the retro-feeds".

Before Jack could reply, Martha and Chantho walked in, both carrying circuit boards, "Oh, am I glad to see that thing," Martha grinned, spotting the TARDIS.

"Chan-Professor Yana, are you alright-tho?" Chantho asked as she made her way over to the older man who had collapsed into a chair, kneeling beside him in concern.

"Yes, I'm fine," Yana waved her off, sounding weak, "I'm fine," he took a few deep breaths before speaking again, sounding stronger, "I'm fine. Just get on with it".

"Connect those circuits into the spar, same as that last lot," Jack told Martha before adding in a slightly louder tone, "But quicker".

"Yes, Sir," Martha laughed, shaking her head as she got on with what she was told.

The Doctor and the Hatter walked over to Yana, kneeling beside him as Chantho hurried away to help Martha, "You don't have to keep working, Professor," the Hatter told him gently, patting his arm, "We can handle it".

"It's just a headache," Yana shook his head, waving their concern off, "Just…just noise in my head, Doctor, Hatter. Constant noise inside my head".

"What sort of noise?" the Doctor frowned, growing more concerned.

"It's the sound of drums," Yana sighed, the Doctor frowned as he noticed the Hatter freeze and become pale but she shook her head at him when she court his eye, "More and more as though it's getting closer".

"When…" the Hatter trailed off, swallowing hard before going on, "When did it first start?"

"Oh, I've had it all my life," Yana shook his head, not noticing the look on the Hatter's face, "Every waking hour. Still, no rest for the wicked," and with that, he pushed himself up and went back to work.

The Doctor watched him go before turning to the Hatter, putting an arm around her waist as he whispered into her ear, "Everything alright?"

She blinked and looked back at him, "Oh, just…just lost in thought about something. Professor Yana just reminded me of someone, not to worry, though. It would have to be almost impossible to be him…well, maybe not almost impossible…" she trailed off as the Doctor raised his eyebrows at her, looking amused, "I was rambling, wasn't I?"

"Yeah," the Doctor grinned, kissing her cheek before helping her to stand, "Come on…"

"No rest for the wicked," the Hatter finished, grinning cheekily as she hurried away and began helping the others.

….

They continued to work around the lab when a guard called over the monitor for Professor Yana.

"I'm here!" Yana called as he hurried over to the computer, sitting in front of it, "We're ready! Now all you need to do is connect the couplings. Then we can launch…" the connection faded and turned to static, "God's sake! This equipment! Needs rebooting all the time!"

"Anything we can do?" the Hatter asked, gesturing to herself and Martha as they walked over to Yana, "Martha's finished and the Doctor can handle the rest," she through a look over her shoulder towered the Doctor, "Besides, it's seems that he can't concentrate properly when I'm standing beside him".

The Doctor blushed; mumbling something as he quickly went back to what he was doing before.

"Yes, if you could," Yana stood, letting Martha take his seat as the Hatter stood behind her, "Just press the reboot key every time the picture goes out".

"Simple, lovely," the Hatter smiled, "Just don't ask Martha to do shorthand, she's awful at it".

"And don't ask the Hatter to draw a picture," Martha teased.

"Hey, I'm not that bad," Martha merely raised her eyebrows, "Okay, that's a lie if there ever was one".

"Are you still there?" the guarded repapered on the screen, making both girls jump.

"Ah, present and correct," Yana nodded, "Send your man inside. We'll keep the levels down from here".

The guard disappeared off the screen for a moment before coming back into view, "He's inside. And good luck to him".

"Captain," Yana turned and walked over to were Jack and Chantho were working, "Keep the levels below the red".

"Where is that room?" the Doctor asked, moving to stand beside the Hatter, putting his arm around her as he eyed the screen.

"It's underneath the rocket," Yana explained, "Fix the couplings and the footprint can work. But the entire chamber is flooded with stet radiation".

"Stet?" both Time Lords frowned, "Never heard of it".

"Which is odd because we studied different types of radiation in school," the Hatter continued.

"You wouldn't want to," Yana sighed, "But it's safe enough. We can hold the radiation back from here".

They watched as the man inside the chamber worked on the couplings for a moment when an alarm began to sound.

"It's rising…0.2," Yana read in alarm, shouting over his shoulder to Jack and Chantho, "Keep it level!"

"Yes, Sir!" Jack called back.

They turned back to the screen and continued to watch as the man moved on to the second coupling when another alarm suddenly sounded and the readings from within the chamber shot sky high.

"Chan-we're losing power-tho!" Chantho shouted, looking around the lab as lights started flashing.

"The radiation's rising!" the Doctor and the Hatter shouted, eye widening in horror as they ran around the lab, trying to stop it.

"We've lost control!" Jack shouted.

"The chamber's going to flood," Yana gasped.

"Jack!" the Hatter shouted, flicking switchers, "Override the vents!"

Instead, Jack grabbed two sparking, live cables, "We can jumpstart the override!"

"Don't!" the Doctor warned, "It's going to flare!"

But Jack didn't seem to hear because a moment later he pressed the two cables together, screaming as the power coursed through him, the others left to watch helplessly as he collapsed on to the floor, dead.

"I've got him!" Martha cried as she ran to his side.

"Chan-don't touch the cables-tho," Chantho rushed forward, pushing them off to the side.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Yana sighed sadly as he watched as Martha began mouth-to-mouth on Jack.

"Hold off on the apologies, Professor," the Hatter told him, standing back with the Doctor, "Your about to witness something that you have, nor are you likely to see ever again".

"The chamber's flooded with radiation, yes?" the Doctor asked Yana.

"Without the couplings, the engines will never start," Yana sighed, shaking his head angrily, "It was all for nothing!"

"Don't count your chickens til they hatch," the Hatter replied, moving forward, "Martha, come with me," she gently but firmly pulled her away.

"You've gotta let me try," Martha struggled but couldn't shrug off the Time Lady's hand.

"And you did try, Martha," the Hatter soothed, "You did an excellent job but now it's time you calm down and watch. Please".

"It strikes me, Professor," the Doctor said, glancing at the older man, "You've got a room a man can't entire without dying. Is that correct?"

"Yes," he nodded.

"Well…" the Doctor said as Jack gasped back into life, taking his glasses off, "We've got just the man".

"Was someone kissing me?" Jack asked as soon as he could talk, looking around.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, Captain," the Hatter laughed.

….

The Doctor and Jack raced down the corridor, running into the radiation room, "Lieutenant," the Doctor called to the man sitting at a desk, "Get on-board the rocket! I promise you're gonna fly".

"The chamber's flooded!" the Lieutenant argued, staring at the Doctor as if he had gone mad.

"Trust me," the Doctor told him, "We've found a way of tripping the system. Run!" the man didn't need to be told twice, he jumped out of his seat and ran out of the room as the Doctor turned around to Jack, finding him in the middle of removing his outer shirt, "Wh…what are you taking your clothes off for?"

"I'm going in," Jack shrugged.

"Well by the looks of it," the Doctor glanced behind him towards the door that led into the chamber, "I'd say that stet radiation doesn't affect clothing, only flesh".

"I look good though," Jack smirked.

"_I think I'm starting to see why most women find him so charming," _the Hatter remarked to the Doctor inside his head, making him blink a few times before realising that she was only joking.

"_Very funny, Hatter," _he sighed, feeling relived as he heard her start laughing.

Jack didn't seem to notice the Doctor's face as he moved toward the door, pausing as he looked back at him, "How long have you known?"

The Doctor looked at him, "Ever since I ran away from you," they stared at each other for a moment before the Doctor nodded, "Good luck".

Jack nodded, turning and entering the chamber as he set to work on the couplings, the Doctor watching from the small window.

…

"We lost picture when that thing flared up," Martha sighed as she sat in front of the computer, pressing a button while Yana, Chantho, and the Hatter stood behind her, "Doctor, are you there?" she called into the comm., waiting for a moment.

"Receiving, yeah," the Doctor called back, "He's inside".

"And still alive?" Martha questioned, casting a glance toward the Hatter who winked back, smiling slightly.

"Oh, yes".

"But he should have evaporate," Yana frowned, looking confused, "What sort of a man is he?"

"From what I can tell," the Hatter said thoughtfully, "A massive flirt but other than that, I can't say. Martha and I only just meet him," she glanced toward the older man and started explaining, "You see, the Doctor and I travel through time and space, meeting people and taking them along with us".

"I always think of it like picking up stray dogs," Martha remarked.

The Hatter smiled and patted her shoulder, "It's a good thing that I like dogs, then. Anyway, cats make me sneeze. Well, adult cats do, kittens are different for some reason".

"You travel through time?" Yana breathed, staring at the Hatter and Martha, distractedly.

"Don't ask me to explain it," Martha shook her head, "The Hatter's tried to explain it to me but I didn't understand a word she said".

"I tried to warn you," the Hatter shrugged, pointing over her shoulder to the blue box still sitting in the corner, "That's the TARIDS, the Doctor's pride and joy. It stands for time and relative dimension in space".

"Or the sports car of time travel, he says," Martha added.

"When did you first realize?" the Doctor asked, clearly talking to Jack, forgetting the open comm.

"Earth 1892," Jack answered him, sounding as if he was struggling with the coupling, "Got in a fight in Ellis Island. A man shot me through the heart. Then I woke up. Thought it kinda strange. But then it never stopped. Fell off a cliff, trampled by horses, World War I, World War II, poison, strangulation, a stray javelin…" both the Doctor and the Hatter winced at the thought, "In the end, I got the message, I'm the man who can never die. And all this time you knew".

"That's why I left you behind," the Doctor shook his head, "It's not easy even just…just looking at you Jack, 'cos you're wrong. The Hatter noticed it from just looking at you".

Jack seemed to give him a look, "Thanks".

"You are," the Doctor sighed, "The Hatter and I can't help it. We're Time Lords, it's instinct. It's in our gut. And it effects the Hatter a lot more than me, all her instincts are stronger than mine. She's just better at adapting to things. You're a fixed point in time and space. You're a fact. That's never meant to happen. Even the TARDIS reacted against you, tried to shake you off, flew all the way to the end of the Universe just to get rid of you".

"So what you're saying is that you're, uh…" he trailed off, a moment later the coupling hissed, "Prejudiced?"

"I never thought of it like that," the Doctor blinked.

"Shame on you," Jack laughed.

"Yeah".

"Last thing I remember back when I was mortal…I was facing three Daleks. Death by extermination. And then I came back to life. What happened?"

"Rose," the Doctor replied at the same time that the Hatter mouthed her name.

"I thought you sent her back home," Jack frowned.

"She came back," the Doctor told him, "Opened the heart of the TARDIS and absorbed the Time Vortex".

"What does that mean, exactly?"

"No one's ever meant to have that power," the Doctor sighed, "If a Time Lord did that, he'd become a god, a vengeful god. But she was human. Everything she did was so human. She brought you back to life but she couldn't control it. She brought you back forever. That's something, I suppose. The final act of the Time War was life".

"I bet no one saw that coming," the Hatter sighed, looking down, "Somehow, I still don't think that the Time Lords would have been happy about the thought of a human ending the war".

"Do you think she could change me back?" Jack asked hopefully.

"I took the power out of her," the Doctor explained, "She's gone, Jack. She's not just living on a parallel world, she's trapped there. The walls have closed".

"I'm sorry," Jack apologised.

"Yep," the Doctor replied, even though his hearts weren't truly in it. The way that Rose had treated his Hatter still made him angry to think about, even after she knew what the Hatter had been through with her family.

"I went back to her estate, in the 90's, just once or twice," Jack admitted, the Hatter looked up sharply, "Watching her grown up. Never said hello," the Hatter let out a sigh in relief, "Timelines and all that".

"Do you wanna die?"

"Oh, this one's a little stuck".

"Jack?"

"I thought I did," Jack told him after a moment, "I dunno. But this lot, you see them out here surviving and that's fantastic," there was the sound of the coupling twisting before it was realised.

"You may be out there somewhere," the Doctor said thoughtfully.

"I could go meet myself".

The Hatter smiled, having a pretty good idea who Jack may become later on in his life.

"Well, the only man you're ever gonna be happy with," the Doctor teased.

"This new regeneration," Jack said, "It's kinda cheeky".

The Hatter couldn't stop herself from laughing, "He has no idea".

"I never understand half the things he says," Martha shook her head, catching sight of Yana leaning against a piece of equipment, his eyes watering, "What's wrong?"

The Hatter frowned as she turned, "Professor Yana?"

"Chan-Professor, what is it-tho?" Chantho asked, looking deeply concerned as she rushed to his side, followed by Martha and the Hatter.

"Time travel…" Yana breathed, looking off into the distance, "They say there was time travel back in the old days," he shook his head, "I never believed…but what would I know? I'm just a stupid old man…"

"Now, don't talk like that, Professor," the Hatter told him sternly, "The Doctor and I both think your brilliant, just look at everything you've achieved without any of our help. Don't talk yourself down like that, I won't let you".

Yana smiled at her, "Thank you but I couldn't even keep time. Always late, always lost. Even this thing never worked," he pulled out a silver fob watch from his pocket, both Martha and the Hatter's eyes winded, "Time and time and time again. Always running out on me".

"Can I have a look at that?" Martha asked, swallowing hard while the Hatter stared at the watching, looking torn between horrified and frightened.

"Oh, it's an old relic," Yana chuckled, "Like me".

"Where…" the Hatter cleared her throat, "Where did you get it?"

"Hm?" Yana frowned, trying to remember, "I was found with it".

"What do you mean?" Martha asked, casting a worried look toward the Hatter.

"An orphan in the storm," Yana explained, "I was a naked child found on the coast of the Silver Devastation. Abandoned with only this".

"Have you ever opened it?" Martha questioned.

"Martha, please don't," the Hatter whispered to her but she didn't seem to hear.

"Why would I?" Yana frowned, confused, "It's broken".

"How do you know it's broken if you never opened it?" Martha asked again, ignoring the warning looks she was being sent by the Hatter.

"Please, Martha," she pleaded, running a hand through her hair.

"It's stuck," Yana shook his head, "It's old. It's not meant to be. I don't know".

Martha carefully took the watch, turning it over to show the circler engravings on the other side. The Hatter gasped as soon as she saw them and started walking backwards, looking horrified as she started murmuring words under her breath.

"Does it matter?" Yana asked, eyeing them both as he took the watch back.

"Not at all!" the Hatter said a little too brightly and quickly, grabbing Martha's arm, "It's…nothing. Nothing at all…" she glanced back to the watch, swallowing hard as she forced herself to look away from it, "Listen, everything's fine around here. Martha and I are just going to see if the Doctor needs us," she flashed them a nervous smile before dragging Martha out of the room, breaking into a run as soon as they could.

…

Martha and the Hatter continued running until they reached the control room just outside the radiation chamber, Jack and the Doctor were already working on the controls, the countdown for the launch already started.

"Ah, nearly there," the Doctor was saying, grinning as he turned around and kissed the Hatter's forehead, not noticing the look on her face, "The footprint is a gravity pulse. It stamps down, the rocket shoots up. Bit primitive. It's gonna take the both of us to keep it stable".

"Yeah, that's great, Doctor," the Hatter sighed, rushing over to some of the controls as Martha turned to the Doctor.

"Doctor, it's the professor," Martha gasped, still not quite sure why the Hatter was so upset, "He's got this watch. He's got this fob watch. It's the same as yours. Same writing on it. Same…everything".

"Don't be ridiculous," the Doctor shook his head.

"It's the truth Doctor," the Hatter said over her shoulder, "We even asked him and he told us that he's had it his entire life. I would know that watch anywhere, Doctor".

"So he's got the same watch," Jack shrugged, not seeing the problem.

"Yeah, but it's not a watch," Martha shook her head, "It's this chameleon thing…"

"No, no, no," the Doctor and the Hatter shook their heads, "It's this…this thing, this device, it rewrites biology, changes a Time Lord into a human".

"And it's the same watch," Martha tried again.

"Not exactly…" the Hatter began but the Doctor cut her off.

"It can't be".

An alarm started going off and the Doctor and the Hatter quickly rushed around to fix it.

"That means he could be a Time Lord," Jack realised, looking in-between the Doctor and the Hatter, "You two might not be the last ones".

"Jack, keep it level!" the Hatter called to him, flicking a few switchers.

"But that's brilliant, isn't it?" Martha smiled.

"Yes, it is," the Doctor nodded, the Hatter on the over hand sighed, looking down, "Course it is. Depends which one. Brilliant, fantastic, yeah. But they died, the Time Lords. All of them," he glanced at the Hatter, "Almost all of them, anyway".

"Not if he was human," the Hatter shook her head, looking extremely worried as she grabbed his hand, holding onto it tightly, "Oh, I should have seen this coming, he always did find a way to survive".

"You know who it is?" the Doctor asked a little sharper then he intended.

She nodded grimly, "He's the Master".

The Doctor's eyes winded and he pulled her into a hug, looking alarmed as he looked at Martha over the Hatter's shoulder, "What did Yana say?" he demanded, raising his voice, making the Hatter wince, "What did he say?"

Martha gasped, taking a few steps back, "He looked at the watch like he could hardly see it. Like that perception filter thing".

"What about now?" the Doctor demanded, the Hatter went to pull away but he only tightened his grip on her more, as if he was terrified if he let go something would happen to her, "Can he see it now?"

"Yes," Martha breathed, nodding.

"If he escaped the Time War then it's the perfect place to hide," Jack said as the Doctor reluctantly let the Hatter go and turned back to the controls, "The end of the Universe".

"Think of what the Face of Boe said," Martha remembered, "His dying words. He said…"

Before Martha could finish, the Doctor and the Hatter slammed a button down at the same time, launching the rocket. They glanced at each other, the Hatter gasping and put a hand to the side of her head as she felt the precises of the Master's mind brush against her own.

"It's him," she breathed, "I can feel it. It truly is him".

The Doctor glanced at her, looking concerned before he turned and grabbed the phone to the rocket, "Lieutenant, have you achieved velocity? Have you done it? Lieutenant! Have you done it?"

"Affirmative," the guard called back a moment later, "We'll see you in Utopia".

"Good luck," the Doctor wished him, hanging up the phone before grabbing the Hatter's hand and running out of the room, Jack and Martha running behind. They quickly reached the main door down the hallway, only to find it locked. The Doctor pulled out his sonic and flashed it at the door while the Hatter started using her own sonic of the keypad, "Get it open! Get it open!"

"Hang on…" the Hatter muttered before grinning as the door slide open. They immediately bolted down the hallway, running around a corner only to find the Future-kind entering from the other end. They quickly turned and ran back through another corridor while the Future-kind ran after them.

"This way!" Jack shouted as they reached an intersection, running down the next hallway before reaching the laboratory doors, only to find them locked. Jack started typing the override code into the keypad while the Doctor and the Hatter looked through the small window.

"Professor!" the Doctor shouted, pounding on the window, "Professor, let us in! let us in!"

"Jack, hurry up with that door!" the Hatter called, looking over to him before pulling out her sonic, tossing it to him, "Try that!"

"Professor!" the Doctor continued to shout, "Professor, where are you? Professor! Professor, are you there? Please, we need to explain! Whatever you do, don't open that watch!"

"Bit late for that," the Hatter groaned, trying to help Jack with the keypad.

"They're coming!" Martha cried, seeing the Future-kind running down the hallway, quickly approaching.

"Professor!" the Doctor shouted, becoming even more desperate, "Open the door, please! I'm begging you, professor! Please! Listen to me! Open the door, please!"

From within the room, there was the sound of a gun being fired and they gasped, looking at each other. Jack pulled out his gun and smashed the keypad with the butt of it, short circuiting it, making the doors open. They ran in, the Doctor and the Hatter stopped as they spotted Yana leaning against the TARDIS door, clearly in pain. They stepped forward but Yana stubbled back inside the TARDIS, locking the doors behind him. The Doctor and the Hatter ran forward, trying to put the key in but it didn't work.

"Sonic," the Hatter muttered, the Doctor pulled out his and flashed it at the doors, trying to open them when they heard another lock slide into place, deadlocking them shut.

"Let us in!" the Doctor demanded, pounding on the doors as the Hatter did the same, "Let us in!"

"Please, just let us in!" the Hatter shouted, "Please, just let us explain!"

"She's dead," Martha gasped as she knelt beside Chantho's body, examining her wounded.

"I've broken the lock!" Jack called to the others as he tried to keep the door shut, "Give me a hand!"

"We're begging you!" the Doctor pleaded as Martha hurried to help Jack, "Everything's changed! It's only the three of us! We're the only ones left! Just let us in!"

The Doctor and the Hatter stubbled back slightly as they saw the golden glow of regeneration energy through the TARDIS windows, the sounds of the Master screaming on the other side.

"Brilliant," the Hatter breathed, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Doctor!" Jack shouted as he and Martha desperately tried to keep the doors closed, "Hatter! You'd better think of something!"

"Doctor!" the Master's new voice came over the TARDIS speaker a moment later, sounding so much younger than the old professors, "And my lovely, sweetheart, the Hatter! Ooh, new voice," he made his voice low, "Hello," higher, "Hello," and back to normal, "Hello. Anyway, why don't we stop and have a nice little chat while I tell you all my plans and you two can work out a way to stop me? I don't think!"

"Hold on!" Martha gasped, staring at the doors to the TARDIS, "I know that voice!"

"I'm asking you really, properly!" the Doctor pleaded, "Just stop! Just think!"

"Please, you don't understand!" the Hatter cried, "Things have changed, things are_ so_ different now!"

"Use my name," he ordered.

"Master," the Doctor and the Hatter breathed, "I'm sorry".

"Tough!"

The Doctor and the Hatter stared horrified as the Master started the TARDIS before the Hatter grabbed the Doctor's sonic, holding it up in front of her.

"I can't hold out much longer, Doctor, Hatter!" Jack shouted.

The Hatter made sure the setting was correct before turning the sonic on.

"Oh, no you don't!" the Master shouted as the console of the TARDIS sparked, "End of the Universe. Have fun. Bye, bye!"

The TARDIS started disappearing as Martha screamed, "Doctor, Hatter, stop him!"

But it was no use; the Doctor and the Hatter were forced to watch helplessly as the TARDIS dematerialized in front of them, leaving them stuck at the end of the Universe, awaiting the Future-kind to bust through the broken door.

_**I'm so sorry for not updating sooner, I've had a test that I needed to study for my VCE class that I'm in but it's a pretty simply subject so it didn't take too long. I've also been working on 'The five Doctor's and Hatter's,' and I have already finished the first chapter and half way through writing the second chapter but it's going to be longer then I had first hoped because I have to cover so much more with five Doctor's and Hatter's running around. Still, I'm hoping to have it finished soon. I hope you liked it, please review :) **_


	25. Chapter 25 The Sound of Drums part 1

_**The sound of drums, part 1.**_

In an alleyway in the middle of London, a Time Vortex suddenly opened, blowing rubbish and poster on the walls around as the Doctor, the Hatter, Martha, and Jack were dumped on the ground before it sealed its self.

"Oh, my head!" Martha groaned, learning heavily against the side of the alley wall, holding her head.

"Tell me about it," the Hatter winced, pulling herself up, rubbing her lower back, "Time travel without a capsule…"

"That's a killer," the Doctor nodded, cracking his neck as Jack did the same before they started walking out of the alley and down the street.

"Still, at least we made it," Jack remarked, looking around the busy street, "Earth, 21st century by the looks of it. Ha ha, talk about lucky".

"That wasn't luck, Jack," the Hatter told him, thinking back to when they were still at the end of the Universe, "That was the Doctor and I".

They made their way over to a set of seats and sat down, the Doctor and the Hatter all the while looking around the street.

"The moral is, if you're gonna get stuck at the end of the Universe," Jack smiled, "Get stuck with an ex-Time Agent and his Vortex Manipulator".

"Or two Time Lords," the Hatter shrugged, eyeing the humans going about their daily lives all around them.

"But this Master bloke," Martha shook her head, frowning, "He's got the TARDIS. He could be anywhere in time and space".

"No, he's here," the Doctor corrected, looking around, "Trust us".

"Who is he, anyway?" Martha wondered, "And that voice at the end, that wasn't the professor".

"If the Master's a Time Lord, he must have regenerated," Jack said to Martha, the Doctor and the Hatter glanced at each other as they heard a faint tapping sound close by. They glanced in its direction to see a homeless man standing a short distance away, tapping on his mug.

"What does that mean?" Martha asked, recalling the Hatter mentioning it a few times before but never explaining it further.

"Changed his face," Jack explained, frowning slightly as he noticed the Doctor and the Hatter watching the homeless man, "Voice, body, everything. New man".

"Then how are we gonna find him?" Martha sighed.

"We'll know him, the moment we see him," the Doctor answered, forcing himself to look back to them, the Hatter gave herself a shack and faced them, "Time Lords always do".

"Most of the time, anyway," the Hatter added, smiling slightly.

"But hold on…" Martha frowned, noticing the 'Vote Saxon' posters all around them, "If he could be anyone…we missed the election," the Doctor and the Hatter slowly stood, catching sight of something as Jack followed them, "But it can't be…"

"Oh, but it is," the Hatter breathed, walking closer to a giant screen that was projecting the news, Martha, the Doctor, and Jack following close behind her.

"Mr Saxon has returned from the Palace and is greeting the crowd inside Saxon Headquarters," the newscaster was announcing, a clip of a man dressed in a black suit, walking down a staircase, surrounded by other people and reporters, a young blonde women at his side.

"I said I knew that voice," Martha gasped, staring at the screen in shock and horror, "When he spoke inside the TARDIS. I've heard that voice hundreds of times. I've seen him. We all have. That was the voice of Harold Saxon".

"That's him," the Doctor and the Hatter stared at the screen, their eyes widening, "He's Prime Minister".

"That is so like him," the Hatter muttered, shaking her head.

"Mr Saxon, this way, Sir!" one of the photographers on the screen called, "Come on, kiss the lady, Sir".

"The Master is Prime Minister of Great Britain," the Doctor breathed as Saxon kissed the blonde women standing at his side, both the Doctor and the Hatter's mouths dropped as they gaped at the screen, "The Master and his _wife_!"

"I did not see that coming," the Hatter breathed, "How in the name of sanity did he get a _wife_?" she shook her head, "And I thought him marring my older sister was a massive age gape, now he's gone out and married a human?"

"What?" Martha and Jack blinked but the Hatter shook her head, giving them a look to be quite as the Master stepped forward on the screen, talking into one of the cameras.

"This country has been sick," he said, "This country has been tricked. This country needs healing and laughter. This country needs medicine and fun. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that, what this country really needs, right now…is a doctor and hatter," he grinned widely at the camera.

The Doctor, the Hatter, Martha, and Jack glanced at each other, knowing the true meaning of his speech.

….

It wasn't long after they watched the news cast that they made their way to Martha's flat. They quickly found a car and the Doctor used his sonic to steal it before they drove off, following Martha's directions. It only took them a few minutes to reach an ordinary street were Martha lead them into one of the houses.

"Home," Martha sighed, feeling pleased to be back in her own space as she led the group into her living room. The entire way, the Doctor and the Hatter had been questioning Martha and Jack for information on Saxon.

"What have you got?" the Doctor asked, looking around the small space, "Computer? Laptop? Anything?"

The Hatter turned away from where she had been peeking through the window to see Jack on his phone, "Jack, what are you doing?" she frowned, looking slightly alarmed as the Doctor turned around, "Who are you phoning?"

"You can't tell anyone we're here!" the Doctor added, taking his glasses out and putting them on.

"Just some friends of mine, but there's no reply…" Jack sighed; the Hatter looked away, feeling slightly guilty for letting the stress get to her when she knew that Jack and Martha would be concerned for their friends and family.

"Here we go," Martha found her laptop and passed it to the Doctor, "Any good?"

Before the Doctor could even glance at it, Jack grabbed it and place the laptop on Martha's desk, "I can show you Saxon website," he told them, typing something, "He's been around for ages".

"That's so weird though," Martha shook her head as the Doctor and the Hatter looked over Jack's shoulder to see the computer screen, "It's the day after the election. That's only four days after I met you".

"We went travelling through time and space," the Hatter sighed, looking over her shoulder, "All over the Universe while he was here the entire time. We've been such fools for not noticing it sooner".

Martha crossed her arms, "You two gonna tell us who he is?"

"He's a Time Lord," the Doctor said vaguely.

The Hatter rolled her eyes, "A very foolish one at that. Sadly, he has a brilliant mind, if only he would use it for good".

"You said something about him being married to your sister," Martha pointed out.

"I would hardly call it marriage," the Hatter shook her head, "They were married for seventy years or so before he dumped her. I have no idea why they even married in the first place but I think it might have something to do with the fact my sister and I looked almost exactly alike, she was slightly taller than me, though. She was two hundred years older than myself and the Master".

"He always did have a thing for you," the Doctor muttered, looking upset as he thought about it.

"That was centuries ago, Doctor," the Hatter shrugged, "I doubt he still has feeling for me, if anything, he probably hates me as much as you".

"What about the rest of it then?" Martha asked, frowning, "I mean, who'd call himself the Master?"

"That's all you need to know," the Doctor told her seriously, turning to Jack, "Come on, show us Harold Saxon".

Martha sighed, relishing that she wasn't going to get anything else at of them so she turned away and checked her answering machine, seeing that she had a message, "Martha, where are you?" Tish's voice came over, making the Hatter blink and look up before realising that it was just the machine, "I've got this new job. You won't believe it. It's weird, they just phoned me up out of the blue. I'm working for…"

Martha rolled her eyes, "Like it matters," she mumbled, turning it off.

"I'm voting Saxon," Martha looked up as she heard the voice Sharon Osborn coming from over were the Doctor, the Hatter, and Jack were sitting around the laptop, "He can tick my box any day".

"Vote Saxon!" McFly came on next as Martha walked over to see for herself, "Go Harry!"

Next was Ann Widdercombe, "I think Mr Saxon is exactly what this country needs. He's a very fine man," she glanced at Saxon who was standing beside her, "And he's handsome too".

Jack stoped the campaign commercials and started reading information of Saxon's website, "Former Minister of Defence. First came to prominence when he shot down the Racnoss on Christmas Eve," he glanced at the Doctor and the Hatter who were sitting on Martha's sofa, "Nice work, by the way".

"Oh, thanks," the Doctor said absentmindedly, the Hatter didn't bother to comment as she was too lost in thought.

Martha walked forward, "He goes back years," she told them, looking at the computer, "He's famous. Everyone knows his story. Look. Cambridge University, Rugby blue, won the Athletics thing, wrote a novel, went into business, marriage, everything. He's got a whole life".

The Hatter sighed, running her hand through her hair before standing, "Let's see what else I can find out about Saxon," she gestured for Martha and Jack to move so she could sit in front of the laptop and began typing, "Shouldn't take too long".

"Right, I'll go and make some tea," Jack said, heading into Martha's kitchen as the Doctor came up behind the Hatter, watching her, after a while of them sitting in silence, "But he has the TARDIS," he called to them, "Maybe the Master went back in time and has been living here for decades".

The Doctor and the Hatter shook their heads, "No".

"Why not?" Jack asked, walking back into the room, somehow holding four cups of tea, "Worked for me".

"When he was stealing the TARDIS, the only thing that I could do was fuse the coordinates," the Hatter explained, not taking her eyes of the computer screen as Jack put a cup beside her, passing another cup to the Doctor, "I locked them permanently".

"He can only travel between the year 100 trillion and the last place the TARDIS landed," the Doctor added, "Which is right here, right now".

"Yeah, but a little leeway?" Jack raised his eyebrows.

"Well…18 months, tops," the Doctor said thoughtfully, glancing at the Hatter who nodded, "The most he could have been here is 18 months. So how has he managed all this? The Master was always sort of….hypnotic…" the Hatter laughed, "What?"

"Sort of hypnotic?" the Hatter raised her eyebrows, glancing at him, "How many companions of yours did he put under his influence? Or though, you are right, he never did something this massive. It would have been extremely draining on his mind," she shook her head, "He once tried it on me when we were only in school. Too bad for him that my mind is stronger than his".

"You have always been strong minded," the Doctor grinned, kissing her forehead.

"I was gonna vote for him," Martha told them, making everyone look at her.

"Really?" the Doctor and the Hatter frowned.

"Well, it was before I even met you," Martha shrugged, "And I liked him".

"Me too," Jack nodded.

"Why do you say that?" the Doctor asked, eyeing them, "What was his policy? What did he stand for?"

"I dunno," Martha shook her head, looking off into the distance, looking slightly dreamy, "He always sounded…good," she started tapping the same rhythm that the homeless man hand being doing, the Doctor and the Hatter began to grow even more concerned, "Like you could trust him. Just nice. He spoke about…I can't remember, but it was good. Just the sound of his voice…"

"What's that?" the Doctor asked, staring at her hands.

"What?" Martha jumped, coming out of the strange trance she appeared to be under.

"That!" the Doctor and the Hatter said slightly louder, pointing at her hands, "That tapping, that rhythm! What are you doing?"

"I dunno," Martha shrugged, looking confused, "It's nothing. It's j…I dunno!"

Suddenly a tune started playing on the computer, making them all turn and look at it as it announced Saxon's broadcast live on the website. The Doctor jumped out of his chair and turned Martha's TV on, "It seems out lord and master is speaking to his kingdom," he commented.

The Master appeared a moment later, sitting in front of a fireplace in the Cabinet Room, "Britain, Britain, Britain," he smiled, sounding like a proper Politian, "What extraordinary times we've had. Just a few years ago, this world was so small. And then they came, out of the unknown, falling from the skies".

The Hatter glanced at the Doctor as a clip of a Slitheen ship was shown, hitting Big Ben, "You've seen it happen," the Master continued, "Big Ben destroyed, a spaceship over London," more clips were shown, "All those ghosts and metal men. The Christmas star that came to kill. Time and time again the government told you nothing. Well not me. Not Harold Saxon. Because my purpose here today is to tell you this…citizens of Great Britain…I have been contacted," the Doctor and the Hatter exchanged looks, "A message, for humanity, from beyond the stars".

The Master nodded to someone off camera as the footage changed and a silver sphere appeared, flouting in mid-air, "People of the Earth, we come in peace," the sphere told them in a childlike voice, "We bring great gifts. We bring technology and wisdom and protection. And all we ask in return is your friendship".

"Ooh sweet," the camera switched back to the Master, "And this species has identified itself. They're called the Toclafane".

"What?" the Doctor and the Hatter almost shouted. The Toclafane had been nothing more than a bed time story that was told by older children to their younger brother and sister to frighten them, they most certainly never existed.

"And tomorrow morning they will appear," the Master continued, "Not in secret, but to all of you. Diplomatic relations with a new species will begin. Tomorrow, we take out place in the Universe. Every man, women, and child. Every teacher and chemist and lorry driver and farmer. And every…oh, I don't know…medical student?"

The Doctor and the Hatter whipped around to look at Martha before the Doctor spun the TV around to revel a bomb strapped to the back, counting down. They jumped up, the Hatter grabbing the laptop as Jack pulled Martha out with him. The Doctor quickly pulled the Hatter out just as an explosion went off in the abounded flat behind them, spraying them with glass.

"Alright?" the Doctor asked, looking around at them as they pulled themselves up from the road.

"Fine, yeah, fine," Jack said, pulling himself up.

"Hatter?" the Doctor turned to her, grabbing her shoulders and started looking her up and down to check for injures until she hit his arm.

"I'm fine," she rolled her eyes, looking around to see Martha was on her mobile, "Martha?"

"What are you doing?" the Doctor demanded, turning around to see for himself.

"He knows about me," Martha told them, focusing on her phone, "What about my family?"

"Don't tell them anything!" the Doctor warned.

"I'll do what I like!" Martha snapped, glaring at him until someone answered the phone, "Mum? Oh my God, you're there!" she turned and walked a short distance away, still talking while the Doctor, the Hatter, and Jack were left to stand back and wait.

"Dad!" Martha suddenly gasped, turning around to face the others, looking shocked, "What are you doing there?" she waited a moment, "Dad? Just say yes or no. is there someone else there?"

They watched as her mouth dropped in horror, "Dad!" Martha called, "What's going on? Dad?" she shook her head, running toward the car, "I've gotta help them!"

"That's exactly what they want!" the Doctor called after her, frowning, "It's trap!"

"I don't care!" Martha shouted, trying to open the door as the Hatter walked over to her, she quickly whirled around and glared at the Time Lady, "There my family!"

"Yes," the Hatter said calmly, looking slightly amused as she held out her hand, "And despite this being a trap, I agree that we should try and help them. But I do have a slight issue…"

"What?"

"You driving," the Hatter smiled, "Jack may be immortal but the rest of us aren't and I would rather hold off on regenerating until everything is sorted, I rather like this body. May I have the keys, Miss Jones?"

"Hatter…." The Doctor started but he cut off by a glare the Hatter sent him.

"Doctor, you used to let me drive old Bessie and you loved that car," the Hatter said, turning back to look at Martha, "If I could drive her then I think I can drive a boring car like this one".

Not waiting for the Doctor to reply, Martha shoved the keys in the Time Ladies hand and jumped in the back, followed by Jack. The Doctor rubbed the back of his neck as he got in the front, eyeing the Hatter as she hoped in the drivers and started the engine.

"Put your seatbelts on, kids," the Hatter called back, grinning as she cracked her knuckles, "Something you don't know about me, Jack, Martha," she glanced at them in the revision mirror, "I love to speed," and with that, she took off down the street, wheels spinning, laughing.

"I knew this was a bad idea!" Doctor groaned, the Hatter only laughed louder as she drove recklessly down the road, "Corner!" the Doctor suddenly shouted, leaping across and grabbing the steering wheel, turning it sharply, making the wheels squeal loudly.

"Back street driving," the Hatter muttered, batting his hands away with one hand, "I'm in perfect control…"

"Look out for that truck!" Jack shouted from the back, the Hatter quickly turned the wheel and passed the truck, quickly getting back to the right side of the road before anything else could happen.

"See?" the Hatter smiled, sighing in relief, the Doctor stared at her in disbelief, "Perfect control. Martha, give your family a call, try to warn them if you can".

Martha took her phone out and dialled, "C'mon, Tish. Pick up…"

"Martha, I can't talk right now," Tish answered, "We just made first contact. Did you see…what are you doing?" there was a thump as she dropped the phone, "Get off! Linda, tell them!"

"What happened?" Martha shouted into the phone desperately, "Tish!" she looked up and glared at the Doctor, "It's your fault! It's all your fault!"

The Hatter winced slight, turning the wheel sharply before hitting the brakes quickly at seeing Martha's parents being forced into a van, men and women all around them with guns.

"Martha!" Martha's mother cried, spotting them, "Get out of here! Get out!"

The group of police took position, ready to fire.

"Sometimes I hate being right," the Hatter sighed, quickly reversing as they aimed their guns, she did a 3-point turn, speeding off as fast as she could as they opened fire, "Duck!" she shouted over her shoulder to Jack and Martha.

Jack and Martha ducked just as bullets hit the back window, shattering it.

"The only place we can go…planet Earth," Martha rolled her eyes, looking extremely upset, "Great".

"Careful!" the Doctor shouted as the Hatter turned a corner sharply, making the tyres sequel.

"I know what I'm doing, Doctor," the Hatter shook her head, "We need to ditch this car".

"We gotta pull over," Jack agreed, "Right now!"

The Hatter turned another corner and drove down a steep hill. She slowed down and pulled up, turning the car off as they started on foot.

"Martha, come on!" the Doctor called, looking over his shoulder to find her already on her phone, trying to warn her brother.

They continued walking until Martha started shouting, "Let them go, Saxon!" they turned around, the Doctor and the Hatter running over to her, "Do you hear me? Let them go!"

The Doctor quickly grabbed her phone as the Hatter gestured for Jack to help Martha before she ran over to the Doctor, listening to everything that was being said, "We're here," the Doctor told the Master.

"Doctor," the Master replied, sounding slightly breathless as if he hadn't really expected to hear from them, "Hatter".

"Master," they replied in unison.

"I like it when you use my name," the Master said before adding, sounding as if he was smirking, "Especially you, Hatter".

"Still fooling yourself I see," the Hatter said coldly, putting a hand on the Doctors arm as he looked as if he was about to throw the phone, "I thought I told you that I'm not interested in lunatics, especially ones who kill people I like. Besides…" she glanced at the Doctor, smiling slightly, "I've got someone much better".

The Doctor grinned, talking back into the phone, "You chose yours. Psychiatrist's field day".

"Oh, that was a good one," the Hatter whispered to the Doctor, "Why didn't I think of that?"

"What can I say so you won't hit me?" the Doctor whispered back but before she could reply, the Master cut her off.

"As you chose yours," the Master said, "The man who makes people better and the women who makes people laugh with…"

"A touch of madness," the Hatter cut in, remembering telling him the same thing once before, "Or tries to, anyway".

"How sanctimonious is that?" the Master continued.

"So…" the Doctor cut in, "Prime Minister".

"I know," they could almost hear him smirking, "It's good, isn't it?"

"Who are those creatures?" the Doctor asked, frowning, "'Cause there's no such thing as the Toclafane. It's just a made-up name like the Bogeyman".

"Do you remember all those fairy tales about the Toclafane when we were kids?" the Master asked, the Hatter sighed and nodded, already guessing that was where he got the name from, "Back home. Where is it, Doctor, Hatter?"

"Gone," the Doctor and the Hatter swallowed hard, feeling sick that he didn't already know.

"How can Gallifrey be gone?" he demanded.

"It burnt," the Hatter breathed.

"And the Time Lords?"

"Dead," the Doctor said, "And the Daleks…more or less. What happened to you?"

"The Time Lords only resurrected me because they know I'd be the perfect warrior for a Time War," the Master explained, "I was there when the Dalek Emperor took control of the Crucilform. I saw it. I ran," the Hatter shivered, remembering reading the first hand reports, she could understand why, "I ran so far. Made myself human so they would never find me because…I was so scared".

"We know," the Doctor sighed.

"All of them? But not you, which must mean…"

"He was the only one who could end it," the Hatter cut him off, closing her eyes painfully, "If there was any Time Lord that needed to live, it was the Doctor. And I tried. I tried so hard to find a way for him not to be alone," she opened her eyes and looked at the Doctor, taking his hand and holding it tightly, "I tried everything, even turning myself human in the hope that one day he might find me and no longer be alone".

The Master laughed darkly, "What did it feel like, though Doctor? Two almighty civilizations, burning. Oh, tell me, how did it feel?"

"Stop it!" the Doctor snapped, seeing the guilty looks that passed over the Hatter's face as she closed her eyes tightly, looking away from him.

"You must have felt like God. And you, Hatter, how does it feel to be the one to force your so called friend to do that?"

"How dare you speak to me about friendship," the Hatter hissed, almost shaking with angrier, "I did what I did because the Universe needs the Doctor. Do you really think I wouldn't have done anything else? It killed me and I have never hated anything more then I hated myself in that moment. You of all people have no right, not after the things you have done".

"Touched a nerve did I?" the Master asked, they could hear him grinning madly on the other end.

The Doctor took a deep breath, forcing himself to remain calm not matter how angry he felt, "I've been alone ever since, but then I found the Hatter. And now you. Don't you see? All we've got is each other".

"Are you asking me out on a date?" the Master laughed, not sounding as if he was laughing because he thought it was funny, "Finely over the Hatter, are we? Did you know he used to keep notebooks with drawings of you under a lose floor board in his room at the Academy, Hatter?"

"You could stop this right now," the Doctor tried as the Hatter blinked, looking surprised as she glanced at the Doctor, feeling a faint blush spread across her face, "We could leave this planet. We could fight across the constellations if that's what you want. But not on Earth".

"Too late," the Master replied after a moment.

"What do you mean?" the Hatter asked, dreading the answer.

"The drumming," The Master replied, the Hatter gasped, "You remember the drumming, don't you? I thought it would stop but it never does. Never ever stops. Inside my head, the drumming. The constant drumming".

"We could help," the Doctor pleaded, "Please, let us help".

"The Hatter tried," the Master said, the Hatter shivered as she remembered how horrible it felt to have that rhythm inside her head even for a moment, let alone always, "It's everywhere. Listen, listen, listen. Here comes the drums. Here comes the drums," they frowned as they heard tapping, looking up to see a teenage boy, leaning against a wall as he tapped the beat on his leg.

"What have you done?" the Doctor and the Hatter demanded, looking horrified, "Tell us how you've done this," the Doctor continued, "What are those creatures? Tell us!"

"Ooh, look," the Master said, ignoring them, "You're on TV".

"Stop it!" the Doctor snapped angrily, "Answer us!"

"No, really," the Master sounding as if he was almost laughing, "You're on Telly! You and your little band, which, by the way, is ticking every demographic box. So, congratulations on that. Look, there you are! Ha!"

The Doctor and the Hatter looked inside a shop window to see a TV with a newscast on, picturing photos of them from Lazarus Labs, "…they are known to be armed and extremely dangerous," the news reporter was saying.

"You're public enemy's number one, two, three, and four," the Master informed them, "Oh, and you can tell handsome Jack that I've sent his little gang off on a wild goose chase to the Himalayas so he won't be getting any help from them," the Doctor glanced over to see Martha and Jack watching, he nodded and they walked over, "Now, go on, off you go. Why not start by turning to the right?"

"He can see us," the Hatter gasped, turning around to see a camera. The Doctor pulled out his sonic and flashed it at it, causing the camera to spark as he short circuited it.

"He's got control of everything," the Doctor realised. They could faintly hear the Master still talking over the phone.

"What do we do?" Martha asked, hugging herself.

"We've nowhere to go," Jack added, sighing.

"Doctor, Hatter," Martha glared at them, "What do we do?"

"Run for your life, Doctor, Hatter!" they heard the Master shout over the phone.

The Doctor and the Hatter looked at each, saying in unison, "We run".

And with that, they turned and ran through the shopping arcade, not stopping for a moment.

_**I bet no one saw the Master being married to the Hatter's sister, hmm? We'll also find out why the Hatter is so angry with the Master about calling himself a friend and it's something the Doctor has never been told. Also, I highly recommend watching this clip: www . you tube watch?v = Jt oEp 4zdq X0, it really is brilliant and it I think it would suit both the third Doctor and the tenth. Hope you liked it, please review :)**_


	26. Chapter 26 The Sound of Drums part 2

_**The sound of drums, part 2.**_

Martha hurried through the abounded warehouse they had found, carrying a bag of hot chips that she had been sent out to get seeing as she was less likely to be recognized. The Doctor and the Hatter looked up as they sat in front of the laptop, Jack stood off to the side while he fiddled with his Vortex Manipulator.

"How was it?" Jack asked, looking up as the Hatter asked the same thing.

"I don't think anyone saw me," Martha sighed as she opened the bag, rummaging through it, "Anything new?"

Jack tapped his Manipulator, "I've got this turned into the government wavelength so we can follow what Saxon's doing".

"Yeah, I meant my family," Martha gave him a cold look, shoving a package of food into his hands, walking over to the Doctor and the Hatter.

"I'm sorry, Martha," the Hatter sighed sadly, reading the news report off the computer screen, "It's still saying that the Jones family have been taking in for questioning".

"Tell you what, though," the Doctor added, taking the package that she handed him, passing it to the Hatter so she could open it, "No mention of Leo".

Martha smiled, "He's not as daft as he looks…" she slowly lost her smile as it hit her what they were talking about, "I'm talking about my brother on the run. How did this happen?"

"I'm sorry, Martha," the Hatter reached out and patted her arm gently, "I know this is hard but we'll get through it".

Martha smiled at her as Jack took a bite of his chips, "Nice chips," he remarked, sitting down on an old chair they had managed to find.

"Actually, they're not bad," the Doctor nodded, popping one it his mouth, "Hatter, here," he gestured for her to open her mouth before popping a chip in.

"I'm not a baby bird, Doctor," she rolled her eyes, chewing before she kissed his cheek, making him grin broadly, "But I can't fault you on being sweet".

Martha sat down and looked at Jack, nodding toward the Doctor and the Hatter.

"So, Doctor, Hatter, who is he?" Jack asked, looking toward them, "How come the ancient society of Time Lords created a psychopath?"

"And what was he to you two?" Martha added, looking in-between them both, "Like a colleague…"

"A friend, at first," the Doctor replied.

"I thought you were gonna say he was your secret brother or something," Martha half joked, the Doctor, the Hatter, and Jack stared at her.

"You watch way too much television," the Hatter shook her head.

"What about you, Hatter?" Martha turned to her.

"Like the Doctor said, friends," the Time Lady shrugged, "I was always a little unsure of him, of course. Something about him didn't quite sit well with me but I could never work out what. We were all close and got along well, mostly," she gave the Doctor a pointed look, "When _he_ wasn't arguing with the Rani, anyway. He slowly development a bit of a crush on me later on in our school years…"

"Go on," Jack smirked slyly, the Doctor glared at him.

"Harkness!" the Doctor growled.

"Deep breaths, Doctor," the Hatter said slightly amused, "And no, nothing ever happened between us despite his attempts or shameless flirting, I mostly ignored it and hoped he would hurry up and move on to someone else. I didn't expect that girl to be my own sister, though".

"It doesn't sound like he's over you," Martha commented.

The Hatter shook her head, "He's always been all talk and no action…well, that's not quite true…" she trailed off, looking thoughtful before shrugging, "Whatever his feelings are toward me is neither here nor there, I've never thought of him anymore then a friend".

Jack nodded before frowning, "But all the legends of Gallifrey made it sound so perfect".

"Well, perfect to look at, maybe," the Doctor sighed, leaning back has the Hatter leaned her head on his shoulder, "And it was, it was beautiful".

"They used to call it the Shining World of the Seven Systems," the Hatter smiled softly, almost being able to see that once beautiful planet in front of her as the Doctor wrapped his arm around her waist, "And on the Continent of Wild Endeavour, in the Mountains of Solace and Solitude, there stood of the Time Lords…"

"The oldest and most mighty race in the Universe," the Doctor continued, dropping his own head on the Hatter's, "Looking down on the galaxies below, sworn never to interfere…" the Hatter had to stop herself from giving him a look, remembering him breaking that rule and having her dragged along with him in his punishment of being sent to Earth, along with a forced regeneration, "Only to watch".

"You see, children of Gallifrey were taken from there family's at the age of eight to enter the Academy," the Hatter explained, sighing, "And some say that's when it all began, when he was a child…"

"That's when the Master saw eternity," the Doctor cut in, "As a novice, he was taken for initiation, it's a gap in the fabric of reality through which could be seen the whole of the Vortex," the Hatter shivered, thinking about her own initiation, the Doctor pulled her closer to him, "You stand there, eight years old, staring at the raw power of time and space, just a child. Some would be inspired, some would run away, and some would go mad…"

"What about you two?" Martha asked softly, unsure if they would answer.

"Oh, the ones that ran away," the Doctor laughed with his mouthful, "I never stopped!"

"Please close your mouth, Doctor," the Hatter sighed, putting her finger under his chin and closing it, "And he might have ran, I was inspired. I was one of the lucky ones, I almost went mad with the raw power but I managed to pull myself away…" she looked thoughtful, "Well, perhaps I did go a little mad".

"I wouldn't have you any other way," the Doctor smiled, kissing the side of her temple, making her blush.

Suddenly, Jack's Manipulator beeped, "Encrypted channel with files attached," he frowned, "Don't recognizance it".

"Patch it through to the laptop," the Doctor sat up, nodding toward the laptop.

"Um, since we're telling stories," Jack mumbled, looking ashamed, "Um, there's something I haven't told you".

They moved closer to look to the laptop when the Torchwood Logo popped up on screen.

"You work for Torchwood!" the Doctor demanded, eyeing him as the Hatter winced.

"I swear to you, it different," Jack tried to explain, "It's changed. There's only half a dozen of us now".

"Everything Torchwood did and you're part of it?" the Doctor said angrily, glaring at Jack.

"The old regime was destroyed at Canary Wharf," Jack told him, stepping back slightly, "I rebuilt it, I changed it. And when I did that, I did it for you, in your honour".

The Doctor opened his mouth but the Hatter stepped in between them, "That's enough," she said firmly, giving Jack and the Doctor stern looks, "Were supposed to be working together not arguing," she turned and faced the Doctor, "I know how hard this is for you, my dear, Doctor. Truly I do but you need to remember that this is Jack, the man who no doubt saved your life more than once. I trust him, Martha trust's him, and just because we now know who he works for does not mean that_ he_ is the same. Give him a chance, Doctor".

The Doctor stared at her a moment, "But Rose…"

"Yes, what happened to Rose was tragic and I wish it had never happened," she nodded, "But it could have been so much worse, she could have been killed or…" she shivered at the thought, "Or she could have been sucked into the Void. A fate that we both know would be worse than death, at least now she is save and loved by her family. Jack played no part in what happened that day so we mustn't blame him," she gave him another look, "Now, apologise to him".

The Doctor stared at her before sighing, running a hand through his hair as he turned to Jack, "She's right, I'm sorry".

Jack blinked, not expecting any of that, "It's fine, don't worry about it".

"I love it when things work out well," the Hatter smiled, exchanging a look with Martha as the Doctor opened the file, an older blonde women popped up.

"If it haven't returned to my desk by 2200 hours," the women began to explain, "This file will be emailed to Torchwood. Which means, if you're watching this, then I'm…" she trailed off, clearly swallowing hard before continuing, "Anyway, the Saxon files are attached. But take a look at the Archangle document. That's when it all started. When Harry Saxon became Minister in charge of launching the Archangle Network".

They clicked on an icon that appeared at the bottom of the screen and looked at the various graphics, pictures of the satellites all around the Earth that appeared.

"What's the Archangel Network?" the Doctor and the Hatter asked.

Martha fiddled around in her pockets, "I've got Archangel," she said, pulling out her phone and tossing it to them, "Everyone's got it".

"I don't," the Hatter remarked.

"You don't have a phone, though," the Doctor shook his head, glancing at her.

"From my human life I do," the Hatter corrected, smiling, "I kept it. I guess it was a bit of a keep sake, it does have quite a few pictures on it that I've been meaning to save on a hard drive," she looked thoughtful, "Some of them would be good in picture frames".

"I can't believe that after all these years, I'm still learning things about you," the Doctor smiled.

"I would hate to become predictable, sweetheart," she grinned cheekily before turning to Jack and Martha, "Sorry, you were about to tell us about Archangle?"

"Right," Jack shook himself, still struggling with how happy the Doctor seemed from how he was when they first meet, "It's in the mobile phone network. 'Cos, look, it's gone worldwide. They've got 15 satellites in orbit. Even the other networks, they're all carried by Archangel".

The Doctor grabbed the Martha's phone and flashed his sonic at it, "It's in the phones!" he muttered, "Oh, I said he was a hypnotist! Wait, wait, wait. Hold on," he tapped the phone against the side of the table, a moment later it began to beep in a 4-beat rhythm, "There it is. That rhyme, it's everywhere".

"Just ticking away in the subconscious," the Hatter breathed.

"What is it, mind control?" Martha asked, looking slightly alarmed at the idea.

"No," the Hatter shook her head, closing her eyes as she listen closer to the rhyme, "It's subtler that that. Well, it would have to be, wouldn't it? Any stronger and people would start asking questions".

"But contained in that rhyme, in layers of code…'Vote Saxon,'" the Doctor added, nodding his head, "Believe in me. Whispering to the world…" he glanced at the Hatter, both realizing the same thing, "Oh, yes! That's how he his himself from us. We should have sensed there was another Time Lord on Earth. The signal cancelled him out!"

"But not compliantly," the Hatter frowned, "Remember, Doctor? Every time we landed in London, I could feel something. It felt like someone was calling me but I dismissed it. The only person that could have done that was the Master".

"Why didn't the Doctor feel it?" Martha frowned.

"The Master wants me to know he was here," she sighed, "He knew that it would annoy me, he always did get great pleasure in annoying people".

Jack shook his head, getting back on topic, "Any way you can stop it?"

"Not from down here," the Doctor shook his head, "But we now know how he's doing it".

"And we can fight back!" Martha smiled.

"Oh, yes!" the Doctor and the Hatter grinned, setting to work taking both the laptop and Martha's phone apart with the sonic while Martha and Jack watched.

"You keep working, I'll have a look around for a bit of wire," the Hatter nodded to the Doctor, hurrying around the old warehouse as she searched, a moment later Jack and Martha joined her, "We just need a piece of wire about an inch long," she told them.

"Hatter?" Martha asked, glancing at Jack.

"Hmm?"

"Is there something you're not telling us about the Master?" Jack asked, eyeing the Time Lady as she looked up sharply.

"Some advice," the Hatter said firmly, "The more you know about the Master, the more danger you put yourself and everyone you care for in. The Doctor, the Master, and I were close friends; the Master killed someone in my family and made me forget. The Doctor helped me to unlock that less then pleasant memory but by then it was too late, the Master had already become a renegade, leaving Gallifrey to make chaos across the stars".

"Who…" Martha cleared her throat, "Who did he kill?"

"She was one of my youngest and less annoying cousins," the Hatter sighed, going back to searching some of the junk scatted around the place, "I witness the Master murder her when we're still in school, when I tried to stop him, he wiped the memory from my mind. It would be a couple of centuries before I would get my memory back".

"Why?" Jack frowned, looking slightly sick.

"My cousins all looked remarkably like me, or maybe I looked like them," the Hatter said thoughtfully before shrugging, "Black hair, blue eyes, pale skin, we even had similar facial features. I introduced my baby cousin to my friends while I helped her with one of her assignments; the Master took a special interest in her. I shrugged it off as him just having a thing for her, soon after they started dating which was odd because my cousin knew that, that behaviour in our family was against the rules," she gave Jack and Martha a look, "That's all you need to know, perhaps I will tell you another time".

Jack and Martha opened their mouths but the Hatter spotted a piece of wire and hurried back over to the Doctor, Martha and Jack trailing behind her.

"Brilliant!" the Doctor grinned, grabbing the wire and using a pair of wire cutters to cut it to the right length, the Hatter got Martha and Jack to hand over there TARDIS keys as they welded some circuitry on the back of the keys, tying some string to each of them.

"Right, four TARDIS keys," the Hatter pushed the keys forward on the table, "Four pieces of the TARDIS with a low-level perception because the TARDIS is _supposed_ to blend in," she gave the Doctor a look, "Not that I don't mind the phone box…"

"Well, sort of, but…" the Doctor rubbed the back of his neck, "Now! The Archangle Network's got a second low-level signal. Weld the key to the network and…Martha," he stepped back, holding one of the keys in front of him, "Look at me. You can see me, yes?"

"Yep!" Martha nodded, the Hatter hid her smile at what was about to happen.

"What about now?" the Doctor slipped the key around his neck, making Martha blink and look away from him, "No, I'm here," he waved his hand, "Look at me," Martha continued to blink and look away from him.

"It's like…" Martha frowned, "I know you're there but I don't _want_ to know".

"And back again," the Doctor pulled the key off and stepped forward, Martha's eyes widened, "See? It just shifts your perception a tiny bit".

"It doesn't make you us invisible, just…unnoticed," the Hatter added.

"Oh, I know it's like. It's like…it's like when you fancy someone and they don't even notice you exist. That's what it's like".

The Hatter looked slightly guilty, "If you had told me all those years ago…"

"I know, I know," the Doctor kissed her lightly, making her blush as she remembered that Jack and Martha were standing right in front of them, "I was a coward…"

"Don't you dare call yourself a coward, Doctor," she gave him a look, "There's nothing wrong with being afraid to tell someone how you truly feel, I pretty sure everyone's gone through that at one point or another. And don't forget, I didn't plane to tell you how I felt".

"Still," he sighed before shrugging, looking at Jack and Martha, "Come on!" he grabbed the Hatter's hand and pulled her out of the warehouse.

Martha watched them go, smiling slightly as she tried not to show how embarrassed she was about ever having feelings for the Doctor, "You too, huh?" Jack asked, glancing at her.

"At first, yeah," Martha admitted, "But once I got to know the Hatter, I knew I didn't have a chance. Not with how close they are".

"Come on you two!" the Hatter called over her shoulder, making them run after them as they made their way down a street.

"Don't run," the Doctor warned, they quickly stopped running as they fiddled with the keys still in their hands, "Don't shout".

"Keep your voice down," the Hatter added, casting a look around the street, "Draw attention to yourself and the spell will be broken. Keep to the shadows as much as you can".

"Like ghosts," Jack remarked.

"Yeah, that's what we are," the Doctor nodded quietly, "Ghosts," they slipped the keys over the heads and continued on their way.

….

"Mr President, Sir!" they watched from the edge of the tarmac of a small military base as the Master mockingly saluted a man dressed in a suit.

"Mr Saxon," the President sighed, looking far then pleased to be there, "The British Army will stand down. From now on, UNIT has control of this operation".

The Doctor and the Hatter exchanged looks, "You make it sound like an invasion," the Master remarked.

"First contact policy was decided by the Security Council in 1968," the President glared at the Master, "And you've just gone and ignored it".

"Well, you know how it's like," the Master shrugged, "New job, all that paper work. I think it's down the back of the settee. I did have a quick look. I found a pen, a sweet, a bus ticket and uh…" he glanced at the blonde women standing beside him, "Have you met the wife?"

"Mr Saxon, I'm not sure what your game is but there are provisions at the United Nations to have you removed from office unless you are very, very careful," the President gave him a hard look, "Is that understood?" the Master mimed zipping his lips shut, "Are you taking this seriously?" the Master nodded, "To business. We've accessed you're files on these…Toclafane. First contact cannot take place on any sovereign soil. For that purpose, the aircraft carrier _Valiant _is en route. The rendezvous will take place there at 8:00 am," the Master tried to speak with his mouth still zipped, "You're trying my patience, Sir".

The Master mimed unzipping his lips, "So America is completely in charge?"

"Since Britain elected an ass, yes," the man replied, glaring harshly, "I'll see you on-board the _Valiant_," and with that, he turned and began to leave.

"It still will be televised, though, won't it?" the Master called after him, making him turn back around, "Because I did promise, and the whole world is watching".

"Since it's too late to pull out, the world will be watching," the President said, "Me," he turned and walked over to his waiting car.

The Master smirked slightly, leaning closer toward his wife, "The last President of America. We have a privet plane ready and waiting. We should reach the _Valiant _within the hour," he gestured for his wife to go first, "My darling," he turned and watched as the President drive away before he glanced over to were the Doctor, the Hatter, Martha, and Jack were standing when a police siren made him turn. A van pulled up and the Jones's were pulled out, all but Leo, "Hi, guys!" he grinned, laughing, "All will be revealed!"

"Oh my God," Martha gasped, almost shaking from anger.

"Don't move," the Doctor and the Hatter warned, glancing at her.

"But…" Martha looked at them.

"Don't," the Hatter repented, softer then before as she lightly touched her shoulder, "Calm down or you'll put your family in even more danger. Just…breathe".

They watched as Martha's family were forced into another car, kicking and screaming.

"I'm gonna kill him," Martha breathed, the Hatter shot her a concerned look.

"Say I use this Perception Filter to walk up behind him and break his neck?" Jack asked seriously.

"Now that sounds like Torchwood," the Doctor remarked, sending him a look.

"Still a good plane," Jack shrugged.

"Boys," the Hatter sighed, shaking her head, "Besides, he's a Time Lord, which makes him our responsibility. We're not here to kill him".

"We're here to save him," the Doctor added.

Jack glanced at them and nodded, fiddling with his Vortex Manipulator, "Aircraft carrier _Valiant_. It's a UNIT ship at 28.2N and 10.02E".

"How do we get on-board?" Martha asked, frowning.

The Doctor turned to Jack, "Does that thing work as a teleport?"

"Since the Hatter revamped it, yeah," Jack nodded, holding out his wrist, "Coordinates set".

"I suggested you try holding your breath this time," the Hatter told them as they reached out and gripped the Manipulator; they did as she suggested before activating it. A moment later they landed in the engine room of the _Valiant_. Martha and Jack fell to the floor, groaning as the Hatter almost collapsed along with them; luckily the Doctor grabbed her before she did.

"Sorry, I'm still getting used to it," the Hatter muttered to the Doctor as he pulled her closer to him, "This body seems to be quit clumsy when I'm not really focusing on what I'm doing".

"Like I said, I wouldn't have you any other way," the Doctor grinned, kissing her forehead.

"Oh, that this is _rough_," Martha groaned, holding her head.

"Oh, I've had worse nights," Jack muttered, standing and cracking his neck, "Ah! Welcome to the _Valiant_".

"It's dawn!" Martha gasped as she walked over to the porthole, looking out, "Hold on, I thought this was a ship," she frowned, "Where's the sea?"

"A ship for the 21st century," Jack explained, walking behind her to look through the small window, "Protecting the skies of planet Earth".

….

The Doctor, the Hatter, Martha, and Jack ran down the maintenance corridors, looking for an exit when the Doctor and the Hatter suddenly stopped.

"We've got no time for sightseeing!" Jack called to them the Doctor and the Hatter shook their heads at him.

"No, no," they replied, "Wait. Shh, shh, shh. Can't you hear it?"

"Hear what?" Jack frowned.

"Doctor, Hatter, my family's on board," Martha shot them both looks, storming past them.

"Brilliant!" the Doctor grinned, "This way!" he quickly turned and lead them in the opposite direction, turning down a corridor to find the TARDIS standing beside some crates, "Oh, at last!"

"Hello beautiful!" the Hatter laughed as she ran forward with the Doctor.

Martha laughed along with them, following behind, "Oh, yes!"

"What's it doing on the _Valiant_?" Jack frowned.

The Hatter paused, losing her smile as she realized that he had a very good point, her eyes winded as she thought of the many horrifying things he could have done, "Please tell me he didn't," she breathed, throwing the doors open and running inside to find the entire room bathed in a red light, the console torn apart with a cage like structure around it.

"What the hell's he done?" Jack demanded, staring at the room.

"Don't touch it!" the Hatter warned, stepping forward, looking sick at the sight, "Not a thing!"

"I'm not going to," Jack told her.

"What's he done though?" Martha asked, looking around the room, confused, "Sounds like it's…sick".

"Very much so," the Hatter muttered.

"It can't be," the Doctor whispered, shaking his head, not wanting to believe it, "No, no, no, no, no, no…it can't be!"

Martha looked at the two Time Lords, "Doctor, Hatter, what is it?"

"He's cannibalized the TARDIS".

"Is that what I think it is?" Jack gasped, stepping back as he looked at the Doctor and the Hatter in alarm.

"It's a Paradox Machine," the Hatter breathed, she ran around the console before spotting a gauge and knelt down next to it, "As soon as this hits red, it'll activate. At this speed, it will trigger…" she glanced around before spotting Jacks watch, "At two minutes past 8:00".

"First contact is at 8:00 and then two minutes later…" Jack nodded, following along.

"What's it for?" Martha cut in, still looking confused, "What's a paradox machine do?"

"More importantly, can you stop it?" Jack shook his head.

"Not until we know what it's doing," the Doctor sighed, the Hatter nodded, standing, "Touch the wrong bit and blow up the solar system".

"Then we've got to get to the Master," Martha said, egger to get to her family and make sure they were alright.

"Yeah," Jack nodded his agreement, "How do we stop him?"

The Doctor glanced at the Hatter before grinning, "Oh, I've got a way. Sorry, didn't I tell you?"

….

The Doctor, the Hatter, Martha, and Jack quietly entered the bridge of the _Valiant _were the President was giving his speech to the world, "…as long as man has looking to the stars, he has wondered what mysteries they hold. Now we know we are not alone…"

"This plan, you gonna tell us?" Jack whispered as they slowly crept into the room, watching the Master as he sat at the front beside his wife, the Hatter couldn't seem to fight off the unsettling feeling that he knew they were there.

"If I can get this," the Doctor whispered back, holding up his key, "Around the Master's neck…cancel out his perception…"

"They'll see him for real," the Hatter cut in, nodding before sighing, glancing around the room, "It's just going to be extremely hard with everyone on red alert".

"If they stop me…" the Doctor said, looking at them, "You've all got a key".

"Yes, Sir," Jack nodded.

"I'll get him," Martha said firmly, glaring at the back of the Master's chair.

"I'll leap across the table if I have to," the Hatter agreed.

The Doctor looked at her, grabbing her shoulders and pulled her around to face her, "Not a chance. You stay here and…"

"Keep safe," the Hatter finished, rolling her eyes, "Not going to happen, Doctor. I'm not a child and I do wish you would remember that, my dear. Now, you focus on doing your job, I'll focus on mine".

The Doctor blinked a few times before turning his attention back on task, knowing that she was right despite what he wanted.

"And I ask you now, I ask the human race, to join with me in welcoming our friends," the President continued with his speech, "I give you the Toclafane," the silver spheres from earlier appeared, hovering in mid-air around him, "My name is Arthur Coleman Winters, President-Elect of the United States of America, and designated representative of the United Nations. I welcome you to the planet Earth and its associated moon".

"You're not the Master," one of the Toclafane replied in a child-like male's voice.

"We like the Mr Master," a second sphere added, this time sounding like a little girl.

"We don't like you," the third sphere agreed, almost seeming to be glaring at the man.

"I…can be Master, if you so wish," the President Winters said, looking confused and slightly weary, eyeing the sphere's, "I will accept mastery over you if that is God's will".

"Man is stupid," the third Toclafane laughed.

"Master is our friend," the first agreed.

"Where's my Master, pretty please?" the second asked, sounding upset.

"Oh, alright then," the Master called, smiling, "It's me!" he jumped out of his chair, "Ta da!" he laughed, "Sorry. Sorry, I have this effect. People just get obsessed. Is it the smile? Is it the aftershave? Is it the capacity to laugh at myself? I don't know. It's crazy!"

"Saxon, what are you talkin' about?" Winters demanded, turning around and glaring at him.

The Master looked at him, losing the smile as he crossed his arms, "I'm taking control, Uncle Sam. Starting with you," he looked toward the Toclafane, "Kill him".

One of the Toclafane moved forwards and fired a laser at Winters, disintegrating him before he could do more than shout. The entire room gasped, some screaming as the room erupted in chaos, everyone trying to run out but the guards held them back with their weapons.

The Master laughed, running up to the spot that Winters had been standing, talking in to the camera, "Now then, people of the Earth, please attend carefully".

The Doctor started to run forward, pulling off his key. The Hatter went to run after him but Jack pulled her back, putting a firm but gently hand on her shoulder.

"Stop him!" one of the guards shouted, a moment later, two guards grabbed his arms and forced him to kneel on the floor in front of the Master.

"We meet at last, Doctor," the Master laughed, "Oh, ho! I love saying that!"

"Stop this!" the Doctor shouted angrily, "Stop it now!"

"As if a Perception Filter's gonna work on me," the Master rolled his eyes, looking over to were Jack, Martha, and the Hatter were standing, "Oh, and look, it's the girlie and the freak. Although, I'm not sure which one's which," he nodded his head and suddenly the Hatter was grabbed from behind and handcuffed, being marched to the front of the room where she was forced to the ground beside the Doctor.

"Let go of me!" she shouted, struggling to shrug the guards off but they merely tightened their grip, "Let go!"

The Master laughed, looking delighted as he jumped down the stairs and pulled her up, dragging her along with him, ignoring her shouts for him to let go while the Doctor could only watch helplessly.

"Calm down or you'll hurt yourself, darling," the Master rolled his eyes, grinning madly as he put his arm around her, practically breathing in her ear, "And we wouldn't want that, would we?"

"I'll tell you what I would like to do," she snapped, struggling to break free but he only laughed, tutting as he kissed the side of her head, pulling off his tie and using it as a gag around her mouth.

Jack suddenly ran forward, unable to watch anymore but before he could reach them, the Master pulled out a device, similar to a sonic screwdriver and fired a laser at him, killing him, "Laser screwdriver, who'd have sonic?" he smirked, glancing at the Doctor as he tried to break free, looking furies, "And the good thing is, he's not dead for long. I get to kill him again!"

Martha gasped, looking sickened as she ran to Jack's side, kneeling at his side.

"Master, just calm down," the Doctor tried desperately despite his anger, "Just look at what you're doing. Just stop. If you could see yourself…"

The Master sighed, looking back into the camera, "Oh, do excuse me, little bit of personal business. Back in a minute," he looked at the guards holding the Doctor, "Let him go".

They pushed him forward and he landed on the floor with a yell, "It's that sound, the sound in your head," he pleaded, looking up at him while the Hatter continued to struggle, "You said the Hatter tried to help, what if we worked together? What if _we_ could help?"

"Oh, how to shut him up?" the Master used his free hand to mime chatting, "I know. Memory lane!" he dropped onto the lower step in front of the Doctor, forcing the Hatter down with him, "Professor Lazarus. Remember him? And his genetic manipulation device? Did you think that little Tish got that job merely by coincidence? I've been laying traps for you all this time. And if I could concentrate all that Lazarus technology into one screwdriver…But…" he trailed off, resting his chin on his palm, looking thoughtful, "Oh, if I only had the Doctor's biological code," he snapped his fingers, "Oh, wait a minute, I do!" he pushed the Hatter over to one of the guards while he walked over to a case, opening it to show the Doctor's severed hand, "I've got his hand! And if Lazarus made himself younger, what if I reverse it? Another hundred years?"

The Hatter's eyes winded, gasping around the gag in her mouth as she looked fearfully toward the Doctor. The Doctor glanced at her and nodded, trying to comfort her as the Master aimed the laser at him, turning it on. He began to scream, convulsing in agony as his entire genetic makeup was aged. The Hatter closed her eyes, forcing herself to look away as tears that she had been holding back broke free, she couldn't even move she felt so devastated at hearing the Doctor's screams of pain.

"Teleport," Jack told Martha quietly, handing her the Manipulator, only just being revived.

"I can't," Martha breathed, shaking her head.

"We can't stop him," Jack tried, "Get out of here. Get out".

The Master stopped and the Doctor collapsed on the ground, now a very old man with grey hair and wrinkles. Martha crawled to his side, "Doctor, I've got you," she told him, putting her arm around him, doing just what she knew the Hatter would have done.

"Aw, she's a would-be doctor," the Master remarked, smiling as the Hatter glared at him, struggling once more as she forced herself to stop crying, knowing it wouldn't help, "But tonight, Martha Jones, we've flown 'em in all the way from prison…" he gestured toward the door that slide open, showing the Jones's being shoved in.

"Mum!" Martha gasped.

Her mother shook her head, sobbing, "I'm sorry".

"The Toclafane, who are they?" the Doctor asked, breathing heavily, the Master crouched beside him, listening closely, "Who are they?"

"Doctor, if I told you the truth," he placed his hand over the Doctor's hearts, smirking, "Your hearts would break".

"Is it time?" the first Toclafane asked, reappearing.

"Is it ready?" the third asked.

The Master stood, walking over to the guard holding the Hatter and pulled her toward him, grinning widely as he noticed the look the Doctor gave him despite how weak he felt.

"Is the machine singing?" the second asked, sounding hopeful.

The Master looked down at his watch, "Two minutes past," he announced, dragging the Hatter up the stairs and joining his wife before turning back to the still rolling cameras, "So! Earthlings. Basically, um, end of the world," he held up his screwdriver, shouting, "Here…comes…the drums!"

And with that, the song 'Voodoo Child' was blasted through the room as the Paradox Machine activated and a massive red rift parted it's way in the sky outside, sending millions of Toclafane pouring through. The Master ran to the window, forcing the Hatter along with him as they looked out. The Hatter gasped in horror, staring transfixed.

A moment later the Master pulled her and his wife up to the bridge, sending a mocking kiss to the Doctor and Martha on his way up, "How many do you think?" the Master asked his wife, staring outside the widow.

"I don't know," she breathed, shaking her head.

"_Doctor, you remember the plane we came up with?" _the Hatter asked, calling to him with her mind as she received a weak reply back, "_I think it's time you tell Martha and…tell her good luck from me_".

"What about you, Hatter?" the Master questioned, leaning close to her ear again, "What do you think? Have I impressed you?" she tried to say something but couldn't through the gage, "Oh, right," he took it off her.

"You sicken me," she spat as soon as she could, glaring fiercely at him.

The Master seemed to falter for a moment before he smirked, "Good," he turned back to his wife, "Six billion," he told her, flicking a switch and activating the loudspeaker, "Down you go, kids!" he turned back to his wife, "Shall we decimate them? That sounds good. Nice word, decimate," he turned back to the speaker, ignoring the Hatter as she shouted at him to stop, "Remove one-tenth of the population!"

The Hatter burst into tears as people started coming over the radio, crying for help as the Toclafane set to work, massacring the humans.

"_Valiant_, this is Geneva!" one women came over the radio, crying for help, "We're getting slaughtered down here!"

Behind them, Martha stood, taking a few steps back from the Doctor.

"Help us, for God's sake! Help us! They're everywhere!"

"Please, please, make it stop," the Hatter gasped, sobbing as she closed her eyes painfully, trying to bloke the sound of the humans out as they reminded her of the Time War, hearing the pleas for help and not being able to help, "Please…just…stop".

"Too late," the Master replied without any emotion.

"This is London, _Valiant_! This is London calling! What do we do?"

Martha looked at her family, tears running down her face.

"They're killing us! The Toclafane are killing us!"

Martha glanced at the Doctor and over her should toward the Hatter, almost breaking into tears herself at the sight of the usually happy Time Lady now openly sobbing, looking heartbroken. She shook herself before activating the Manipulator, disappearing.

The Master handed the sobbing Hatter over to one of the guards before grabbing the Doctor and forcing him to look outside the window, not caring that Martha Jones had just escaped, "And so it came to pass…that the human race fell and the Earth was no more. And I looked down upon my new dominion as Master of all and I thought it…good".

_**Dear me, I wonder what will happen now that we know that the Master not only killed the Hatter's cousin, but wiped the memory of witnessing him do it from her mind? No wonder she and the Doctor became enemies but in the next chapter, you might be surprised at the Hatter, I won't say what or why but it will involve the Master. Or maybe you won't be at all, I have no idea. Anyway, I hope you liked it, please review :)**_


	27. Chapter 27 The last of the Time Lords p1

**Last of the Time Lords, part 1.**

One long, terrifying, horrific year under the rule of the Master had past, and planet Earth was most certainly feeling the effect. The planet had been stripped of everything that could be used, food and water ware in short supply, for the humans that is. The Master had made sure that the _Valiant_ was well stocked with everything.

The Toclafane were still causing chaos on Earth, keeping watch over the humans while they were forced into slavery, killing needlessly when the mood struck them which was almost every minute. Martha Jones was still on the run but there were plenty of rumours and stories that said that she was walking the Earth below, searching for a weapon that would kill the Master, ending his reign at last.

Sadly, the same couldn't be said for Martha's family, or though, Leo Jones was still missioning and no reports of him being sighted had been claimed. Both Mrs Jones and Tish had been forced into becoming the Master's personally slaves, hand cuffed to their beds each night with barely enough food, only to be awaken before the crack of dawn the next morning. The same treatment was given to Mr Jones only he was working below decks in the engine rooms under closer supervision from the guards as a cleaner.

All in all, life on the _Valiant_ was cruel and harsh.

"Citizens rejoice," The Master's voice rang out over the loudspeakers, "Your Lord and Master stands on high, playing Track 3".

'I Can't Decide' by the Scissor began playing as the doors to the conference room/bridge slide open and the Master spun around, walking out of them as he began singing along. He slid next to his wife, Lucy, who was wearing a red gown and gave her a long, deep kiss before spinning around and grabbing hold of the Hatter's hand, unlocking the hand cuffs on her wrists that attached her to one of the guard and began to slow dance with her, ignoring her useless attempts to escape.

The Master had ordered that the Hatter was supervised at all times, not including when she was inside her room, but even then she had at least two guards standing outside the door. She would be taken from her room before 9 O'clock each mourning to await the show the Master would put on in the conference room, than she would spend the rest of the day either by the Master's side (hand cuffed, of course) or close to him. She was never allowed out of his sight during the day and the best part of the night.

At night time, she would eat dinner with the Master and Lucy, usually resulting in a heated fight between the two Time Lords before being escorted back to her room to wait for the mourning so she could begin the process again.

The Master smiled, still signing along as he kissed the Hatter's temple before shoving her into one of the chairs around the large table in the middle of the room, flopping down on another chair and took a sip of tea that Mrs Jones had served him, spitting it out before smashing the cup on the table, glaring at her as he pulled the Hatter along with him, again, leaving the poor women to clean up the mess.

He ran up to the top of the bridge and grabbed a hand bell, ringing it loudly. The Hatter bit her tongue to stop herself from crying, watching as the Doctor crawled out of the small tent he was forced to sleep in with only the straw on the floor to use as a pillow. The Master put the bell down and ran back down the stairs, shoving the Doctor into a wheelchair and began pushing him around the room, dragging the Hatter around like a ragdoll.

He stopped by the window and looked out to see the awful state he had made the Earth become, "It's ready to rise, Doctor, Hatter," the Master smiled, forcing the Hatter to crouch beside him but not close enough for the Doctor to touch her, "The new Time Lord Empire," a couple of Toclafane flew past, the Hatter closed her eyes and looked away, unable to look at them without feeling sick, "It's good, isn't it? Isn't it good? Anything? No?" he waved his hand in front of the Doctor's face, "Anything?" the Doctor didn't respond, "Oh, but they broke your hearts, didn't they?" he smirked as he glanced at the Hatter, "And yours to, Hatter. Those Toclafane, ever since you both worked out what they really are".

The Hatter glared at him, her eyes shining with unshed tears, "I never thought that there was anything more vile in this Universe then a Dalek, but you have proven me wrong".

"Why thank you, my darling," the Master smiled, grabbing her chin and pecking her on her lips, laughing at the disgusted and horrified look that appeared on her face as he turned back to the Doctor, taking note of how he was now glaring daggers at him, "They say Martha Jones…has come back home. Now why would she do that?"

"Leave her along," the Doctor spat, referring to both the Hatter and Martha.

"Don't you dare lay a finger on her," the Hatter hissed angrily.

"But you said something to her, didn't you?" the Master continued, taking no notice of them, staring at the Doctor, "On the day I took control. What did you tell her?"

"I have one thing to say to you," the Doctor told him, "You know what it is".

"Oh, no you don't!" the Master called loudly, shoving the wheelchair away as he pulled the Hatter with him into the center of the room.

"_Valiant_ now entering Zone One airspace," the loudspeaker announced, "Citizens rejoice".

"Come on people!" he clapped, "What are we doing? Launch Day in 24 hours!"

Out of the corner of her eye, the Hatter noticed that as Mrs Jones passed the Doctor, he put three fingers on top of his leg before pulling his hand away when Mrs Jones left. He looked up and noticed that Hatter watching, sending her a small smile as he winked before lifting a finger to his lips. The Hatter blinked at him but before she could do anymore, the Master dragged her away, leaving her to wonder what he was planning.

…

The Hatter frowned as she was escorted by one of the Master's guards to a large room, similar to the conference room were the Master was lounging casually on one of the sofa's, his head was propped up in Lucy's lap.

"Comfortable?" the Hatter raised her eyebrows at him, feeling sickened that he could be so relaxed while people were being killed below them.

The Master's eyes cracked open as he smirked, glancing at the guard behind her, giving him a nod. The guard gave him a salute, making the Hatter roll her eyes as the man un-cuffed her, giving the Master a quick nod before leaving the room.

"Jealous, my dear?" the Master asked, arching his own eyebrows as he watched her rub her tender wrist from where the cuffs had rubbed.

"I feel quite few emotions at the moment," the Time Lady replied, glaring at him, "But jealously is most certainly not one of them. Oh, and don't you think that the pet names are getting a little old?"

"You used to call the Doctor…sweetheart," the Mater said coldly, pulling himself up to lean against the back of the sofa, Lucy didn't move but continued to stare off into the distance, looking dazed, "Why shouldn't I call you whatever I like?"

"Because a pet name is usually a sing of endearment or deep friendship," the Hatter replied just as coldly, crossing her arms as she stood, "Seeing as we haven't been friends for centuries nor do we shear any feelings of endearment, I don't think that it's right. Besides, the Doctor and I have been best friends for years; if we chose to call each other pet names then I see no problem".

"When you put it like that…"

"Oh shut up," the Hatter sighed, flopping down on the sofa opposite them, ignoring the furies look on the Master's face as she turned to Lucy, "How are you today, Lucy? Coming to your sense's yet and ready to kill your…" she shot the Master a dark look, "_Sweet husband_ in his icy slumber? I wouldn't blame you if you did. Rassilon knows I've day dreamed about it enough".

"Icy slumber?" the Master quested, looking more amused than angry.

"Let me guess, you've never taken the time out of you busy life of destroying the Universe to read a vampire book?" the Time Lady shook her head, "How sad," she turned away from him again and focused on the blonde human in the room, "Lucy?" She asked, rising her voice slight but still didn't gain a response, she waved a hand in front of her face but still nothing, "Lucy, can you hear me?"

"Why bother asking when you already know the answer," the Master smiled smugly, "I thought you were cleverer then that?"

"This is low," the Hatter breathed, ignoring his last comment as she stared at Lucy, "Even for you this is low," he merely raised his eyebrows at her as she turned toward him, looking furies, "She's supposed to be your wife! How can you just take her freewill away from her like this? She's human for goodness sack! You know how dangers it can be to meddle with a person's mind, let alone a human's!"

The Master rolled his eyes, "And your point is? I don't understand why you care so much about these apes".

"Don't call them that!" the Hatter frowned at him, "Humans are intelligent, perhaps not in the same way that a Time Lord or other races are but they have accomplished so much in so little time. If you only took the time to see them, to really look, you'll realise the same thing".

"Did you know that the Doctor before this one used to call humans apes, too?" he asked, looking at her curiously to see her reaction, "He was overheard while he was talking too little Miss Rose Tyler. You remember her, of course".

The Hatter opened and closed her mouth a few times before sighing, looking away, "I admit, I was not aware but I also know that, that Doctor in his last body went through a lot. He was struggling with the Time Lords being gone, how could I possibly blame him for looking at the Universe like that? I know that I would have found it extremely difficult".

"And what about the feeling of being the reason for why he felt like that?" the Master raised his eyebrows, leaning forward to the point that he was only inches from her face, almost smiling at the fact that she couldn't move, "It's just eats you up, doesn't it?"

She glared at him, "What are you now, my physiologist?"

The Master laughed, leaning back into the sofa as he calmed down, "No, I think I'll leave that to you, darling," she shot him a dark look at the use of the pet name, "Tell me, though, what douse it feel like to be the reason for the Time Lords deaths?"

"They were already killing themselves," the Hatter breathed, taking deep breaths to stop herself from crying, something that this body seemed to be doing more and more these days, "The Time War stripped away what was left of their lives well before I got involved. I did what I did not because I wanted to, but because I had to. I would have given anything to change what happened. Anything and everything, but I can't".

"Or maybe that's just what your telling yourself to save yourself," the Master shrugged, smiling smugly, feeling a sense of power at being able to upset her so much.

"Or maybe I'm doing it because I promised the Doctor I wouldn't let myself torment myself from the inside out like he had," she replied, lifting her chin, forcing herself to remain calm despite how upset she was, "And I always keep my promise".

"Still going on about that, are you? And you say that my pet names are old".

"You may not keep to your word but I do," the Time Lady told him coldly, "I unlike you happen to understand what friendship means".

The Master glared at her and before she could move, he had grabbed her wrist and almost pulled her beside him, "We _were_ friends," he hissed into her face, "More than that, we could have done anything together but you picked him. The golden Doctor, little Theta Sigma who couldn't even pass his TARDIS exam! You picked him over me! Why, when you could have had anything, I would have given you everything…"

"Perhaps I didn't want everything," she argued, "Perhaps I liked it that the Doctor was different, that he wasn't like everyone else. Who cares if he couldn't pass his TARDIS exams? I know I tease him about it, but at the end of the day, does it really matter?"

"And what about me?" the Master demanded.

"This is childish," the Hatter shook her head, trying to pull her wrist away which only resulted in him applying more pressure to it, "Let me go!" she shouted, "Let me go right now!"

"And. What. About. Me?" he ground out through gritted teeth.

"You were my friend," the Time Lady replied after a moment, taking deep breaths to keep her temper in check, "One of my best friends just like him. We used to do the same things together, laugh, jokes. Whatever. There was never a competition between you or he, you simply went one way and we another. Believe me, if I had a choice, you would still be my friend. I miss how close we were and I wish it could be different but what you did…what you have done…" she shook her head, looking away from him, "I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive you, not unless you truly want to earn my friendship and trust back".

There was a long silence as the Master stared at her, and she refused to look back at him, knowing that he was thinking. After a few minutes, he nodded and released her wrist, "Fine," he said, showing no emotion as he suddenly shouted, making the Time Lady jump, "Guard! Get in here!"

A moment later, the same guard from earlier opened the door and marched inside, saluting the Master.

"Take her back to her room," the Master ordered, nodding to the Hatter, "There she'll stay until this afternoon. Understood?"

"Yes, Sir," the guard nodded, walking over to the Hatter who stood and held out her wrists so she could be hand cuffed again, while the Master turned away and focused his attention on his wife, who hadn't appeared to have moved throughout their entire talk.

The guarded quickly finished reattaching the cuffs before leading the Time Lady out of the room and down the hallway but not before she noticed the dangers look in the Master's eyes as he stared at Lucy, a look that was very similar to the one he wore before he did something very bad.

…

It was later in the afternoon as the Master entered the conference room/bridge, followed by the Hatter and her guarded escort, and lastly, Lucy who was now sporting a rather nasty black eye. Something that the Hatter realised with a sickening feeling must have occurred shortly after her little talk with the Master.

The clock of the bridge read 14:58, the Hatter frowned as she noticed that Tish and Mrs Jones were glancing toward the clock every now and then, almost appearing to be waiting for something. Her frowned deepened as she noticed that the Doctor seemed to be doing the same thing.

"Time for my message," the Master remarked as he glanced at the clock, "Who shall I have today?" he looked around the room before pointing out a young women, "Tanya. Come on, sweetheart. Lucy, Hatter, have you met Tanya? She's gorgeous," he shrugged his blazer off and tossed it onto the table, sitting down, "Tanya, when we get to the stars, I'm gonna take you to Katria Nova. Whirlpools of gold," he glanced toward Lucy and the Hatter, "You three should get to know each other," the Hatter raised her eyebrows but didn't comment, knowing that was what he wanted, "That might be fun," Tanya began massaging his shoulders.

Suddenly, alarms and sirens began blaring throughout the entire ship, "Condition red!" the loudspeaker announced over the blearing sirens.

"What the hell?" the Master blinked, jumping out of his chair as he ran up the stairs to the bridge.

"Repeat: condition red".

Before the Hatter could blink, Mrs Jones ran forward and grabbed the Master's jacket from the table, throwing it to Tish who quickly passed it to the Doctor. The Doctor fumbled around in the pockets before pulling out the laser screwdriver, aiming it at the Master.

"Doctor!" the Hatter gasped, trying to run forwards but was held back by her guard.

"Oh, I see," the Master said, turning around and holding up his hands.

"I told you," the Doctor said, breathing heavily, "I have one thing to say to you," he flicked the button…but nothing happened. The laser screwdriver didn't work.

The Master laughed as the Hatter gasped, releasing what that could only mean to late, "Isomorphic controls," he leaned over and snatched it out of the Doctor's hands before backhanding him, sending him to the floor, making the Hatter wince and begin struggling once again, "Which means they only work for me. Like this," he aimed at Mrs Jones and shot a bolt of energy at her, only just missing and hitting the wall behind her, "Say sorry!"

"Sorry!" Mrs Jones cried, "Sorry! Sorry!"

"Mum!" Tish quickly ran to her mother's side, hugging her tightly.

"Please just stop!" the Hatter tried, giving up on her attempts to get free as the Master turned to her, "Leave them alone. The Jones family have done nothing wrong, if you wish to punish someone then punish me…"

"Hatter, no," the Doctor shook his head as firmly as he could, looking horrified at what he was seeing.

"Don't talk, Doctor," she told him, "You'll only make yourself feel worse," she turned back to the Master, "I know you're angry, you've already taken your anger out on Lucy, I won't stand by and watch while you continue to hurt innocent people because of me. Just…stop, please".

"Did you know he was planning this?" the Master demanded, storming over to her.

"Of course not," the Hatter replied, shaking her head as she meet his glair unflinching, "If I had, I wouldn't have allowed it to happen. There was too many risk's involved, not that I'm saying that it was a bad idea to go against you. Not at all, in fact, had there not been so many risks then I would have loved it," she sighed as the Master didn't appear convinced, "I was in my room all day, in case you've forgotten, and I haven't had any contact with the Doctor in how many months now? Nor have I been near Mrs Jones or Tish so it's very unlikely that I could have been involved. Correct?"

The Master eyed her for a moment before slowly nodding, turning away, "Didn't you learn anything from the blessed Saint Martha?" he raised his eyebrows at them as Lucy hurried over to him and helped him pull his jacket on, "Siding with the Doctor is a very dangerous thing to do," he turned to the Joneses, "Take them away".

"Move!" one of the guards ordered, ushering the women out of the room, "Come on".

"Okay," the Master said, turning around and pulling the Doctor up, "Gotcha," he hefted him up and shoved him into one of the chairs around the table, gesturing to the guard holding the Hatter to move closer, "There you go, Gramps," he pushed the chair away slightly before sitting on the edge of the table, "Oh, do you know, I remember the days when the Doctor, oh, that famous Doctor, was waging a Time War. When the Doctor and the Hatter, battle Sea Devils and Axons. They sealed the rift at the Medusa Cascade," the Hatter smiled faintly at the memory, even though it was slightly tarnished by the Time War, "Ooh. And look at them now. Stealing screwdrivers and hand cuffed. How did they ever come to this," he looked thoughtful before laughing, "Oh yeah. Me!"

"I just need you to listen," the Doctor tried.

The Master shook his head, "No, it's my turn. Revenge! Best served hot. And this time…it's a message for Miss Jones".

"What are you planning?" the Hatter asked, feeling her mouth go dry.

The Master looked at her, smirking, "Just you wait".

….

It wasn't long before the Master ordered that everything was set up so he could make a television broadcast to the planet below in the conference room.

"My people," he said, speaking into the camera in front of him, "Salutations on this, the eve of war. Lovely women. But I know there's all sorts of whispers down there. Stories of a child, walking the Earth, giving you hope," he walked away from the camera and over to the Doctor, revealing the Hatter still hand cuffed to her guard, "But I ask you…how much hope has this man got? Say hello, Gandalf. Except he's not that old but he's an alien with a much greater lifespan then you stunted, little apes. What if is showed? What if I suspended your capacity to regenerate?"

"No!" the Hatter shouted, her eyes wide in horror as she launched forward, trying to run forward, "Don't you dare!"

"Gag her," the Master ordered, nodding to one of the guards standing next to her who pulled out a bit of cloth and tied it around her mouth, despite her attempts to move her head out of reach. The Master smirked, slowly turning back to the Doctor, "As I was saying, all 900 years of your life, Doctor. What if we could see them?" he stepped back and pulled out his screwdriver, aiming it at the Doctor as he flicked it on, "Older and older and older".

The Doctor began writhing in his chair, clearly in agony as everyone watched in horror, the Hatter crying through her gag as she struggled uselessly to run to his side, wishing more than anything to take the pain away, for all of this to be a nightmare, a horrible nightmare that she would wake from and find the Doctor fiddling around with the console, perhaps with Martha in the background, studying the Gallifreyan text that the Hatter had given her the day before to try and learn. Sadly, when she closed her eyes and reopened them, everything was the same. And it broke her hearts.

"Down you go, Doctor," the Master continued his torment, watching as the Doctor fell to the floor, still writhing in agony, "Down, down, down you go," after a moment, he stopped and watched the pile of clothes on their floor in place the Doctor was moments ago, "Doctor," he leaned closer to the cloths, just as a large domed head peeked through the neck of the shirt, blinking it's huge, brown eyes up at him.

The Hatter's sobbing was now at the point that she was almost hyperventilating because of the gag, compliantly distraught and heartbroken from what she had just witnessed.

The Master straightened, smiling as he looked back at the camera, "Received and understood, Miss Jones?" and with that, he gave a nod and the transmission ended as he turned around and faced the room, "Take him away and put him in a…" he looked thoughtful for a moment before his eyes lit up like a child's, "And put him in a cage".

A couple of guards marched forwards and lifted the Doctor, clothes and all up before carrying him from the room as the Master gestured for Lucy to leave to, leaving just the Hatter, her guard, and the Master alone.

"Realise her and get out," he nodded to the guard who did as he was told before also leaving.

The Hatter collapsed into a heap on the floor, tears still streaming down her cheeks like rivers as she coughed and splatted for air, trying to control her emotions as she heard him slowly approach before kneeling in front of her. She wiped her cheeks and glared at him, "How could you?" she demanded furiously.

"Are you alright?" he asked, surprising her with how concerned he sounded.

"You truly are insane if you think I could possibly be alright after witnessing what you just did," the Hatter snapped, quickly jumping to her feet as she remembered that she was free for a second time that day. She ran a hand through her hair and began pacing the length of the room, muttering under breath in Gallfreyan, to quit for him to hear.

"I have an offer for you," the Master said after a moment, now standing up and watching her closely as she stopped and turned.

"What now?" she asked, through her hands in the air, "Are you going to make me take up the Doctor's empty place in his tent? Or, maybe you're going to make me become a maid? Or perhaps…"

"Would you shut up and listen!" he shouted, suddenly grabbing her by her shoulders, shaking them slightly to get the message across. He waited for her to look at him before continuing, "I have an offer for you, something that you're going to like".

The Time Lady raised her eyebrows, "You letting the Earth go back to the way it was before?" she gave an unamused laugh, "I highly doubt it".

The Master glared at her, taking a deep breath to calm himself, "Not quite. My offer is for you to be allowed to do whatever you want, no hand cuffs, and no guards, just you".

"What's the catch?" she frowned, "And why now? What's changed?"

"Nothing," the Master shrugged, stepping away as he hopped onto the edge of the table, "No catch, all I want is for you to be happy".

"Why?"

"Because I want to show you that I can be merciful," he replied after a moment, looking as if it took a great effect to say it.

The Hatter blinked, staring at him, "You want to show me that you can be…merciful after I just witnessed what you did to my best friend?"

"As hard as it maybe to believe, yes," he said reluctantly, "Now, take it or leave it because I can very easily keep you hand cuffed for the rest of your days…"

"Alright!" she held up her hands, nodding, "I agree," she slowly frowned, "Just to clarify, this means I can go anywhere?"

"As long as it's on the _Valiant_," he nodded before saying firmly, "But you're not allowed past the stairs to the bridge, or the Paradox Machine. Clear?"

"Crystal," the Hatter replied, "I still don't understand why, though?"

The Master stared at her for a moment, speaking carefully, "Tomorrow is a new day, I want to give you some time to…prepare".

"What does that mean?" she frowned, looking confused.

The Master shook his head, grinning madly as he stood and left, waving a finger at her as the doors closed behind him.

"Well then, were to begin?" the Hatter said to herself after a moment, shaking her head and turning away from the door as she thought. Her first thought was to go to the Doctor but she knew that she would have to wait until they brought him back in the cage, maybe the Joneses? No, they were locked away and that's when it hit her. Jack.

With the first real smile since all of this happened, she turned on her heel and left, hurrying down the corridors toward the place where she knew the Master had him locked up.

…

"Hatter?" Jack blinked as the Time Lady walked closer to him, stopping a couple of steps away from him to take note of his grimy appearance.

"Hello Captain," she greeted, giving his a concerned look as she noticed the bullet holes in the fabric of his grimy shirt, "What happened?"

"Tried to escape," he told her, "But I guess you figured that out already," the Hatter nodded, "So what are you doing here? I thought the Master was keeping a close eye on you?"

"He is," she sighed before frowning, "Well, he was. I don't know what he's doing but he's let me do whatever I want, I don't like it".

Jack frowned, "You don't think he's planning something to do with you, do you?"

"I wouldn't put anything past him, Jack".

"What happened to the Doctor?" Jack asked after a moment, "Is he alright?"

"I don't know," she sighed, looking down as she closed her eyes painfully, "I hope he is. You know as much as I, Jack".

"I'm sorry," Jack told her, seeing the painful look on her face.

"Don't be," she shook her head, forcing herself to smile, "So…how's it hanging?" she gestured to the chains on his wrist, holding him to the wall.

Jack laughed, glancing at them, "I've had worse nights".

"I'm sure," the Hatter said dryly, giving him a small smile as she pulled a bottle of water out of her coat pocket and unscrewed the top, lifting it up to Jack's lips for him to drink. After he had finish, she placed the bottle of the ground, "I thought you might be thirsty," she told him at his questing look, "I know that the Master isn't the best when it comes to being a good host".

"Thanks," Jack smiled grateful, slowly losing the smile as he looked closely at her, noticing the dark circles around her eyes and her sickly pale skin, "Hatter?"

"Hmm?" she glanced back at him from where she had been looking around the small room.

"Are you alright?" he asked, looking worried, "And don't just say you are because I know you're not".

The Hatter smiled weakly at him, "I'm just tired. Stressed, worried, whatever takes your fancy. It's been a long year".

"Tell me about it," Jack nodded, not looking very convinced, "He hasn't hurt you, has he?"

"No," she shook her head, "Well, in a way he has, I suppose. Doing what he has to the Earth and everyone around here has certainly broken my hearts but as for hurting _me_…no".

"Good".

The Hatter stared at him for a moment before smiling, "It's alright, I know you have questions, I won't be angry. You can ask me anything, but be warned; I may or may not tell you".

"How did you meet the Master?" Jack finally asked.

"That's a long story…"

"I have plenty of time".

"I suppose your right," the Hatter nodded slowly, "Alright, well, it all started when I first meet the Doctor…"

…

The Hatter blinked back tears as the doors to the conference room slide open and she stepped inside to see the Doctor huddled up in a cage with just a thin blanket to cover him. He turned as she walked closer, reaching her fingers through the bars for him to grasp.

"I've been so worried about you," she breathed, almost breaking down but managing to stop herself, "You have no idea, my sweetheart".

"Hatter," he blinked, looking surprised as he smiled softly, grasping her fingers tightly, "What…what are you doing here?"

"The Master decided to be nice to me," the Hatter explained, "Jack and I think he's planning something to do with me, to be honest, I don't care what he does to me as long as no one else is hurt".

"Don't say that," the Doctor frowned, "Don't ever say that".

"I'm sorry," she apologised, forgetting how much he hated to hear her talk like that, she sighed and shook her head as she pulled out a small bundle from behind her back, passing it through the bars, "I hope you like it," she smiled.

The Doctor picked the bundle up before breaking into a large grin, "My suit!"

"I thought it might cheer you up," she smiled happily, "I've never been very good a dress making but I've since discovered that the reason for that was because I never took the time to do it properly. Hence, new suit. Do you like it?"

"I love it," the Doctor grinned, his large eyes lighting up gleefully, watching as she broke into a wide smile.

"Brilliant," she laughed before coughing awkwardly, blushing slightly, "I'll just…turn away," she muttered, quickly turning to face the other side of the room so the Doctor could pull his new suit on, when he was finish, she turned back around.

"How do I look?"

"Wonderful," the Hatter smiled before adding in a teasing tone, "Or though, I think you might be missing something…"

The Doctor blinked, "What?"

She gestured for him to move closer to the bars until his cheek was pressed against it before kissing it softly, making him grin again, "There, that's better," the Hatter nodded, stepping back slightly.

"Still want me around, then?" he asked, half serious.

"Of course," the Hatter told him compliantly serious, looking deeply into his eyes, "If anything, this year has shown me how much I really do love you. It's been hell not being able to speak or see you, I've hated every moment of it. Someone once said that absence makes the heart grow fonder, well, who ever said that was a complete genius and I would very much like to shack there hand. Or whatever they use for hands".

"So…you don't care about me looking…" he gestured to himself.

"What I care about, is inside, not out," the Hatter shook her head, "You could have twelve eyes, four noses, eleven legs, and be covered in feathers for all I care, I would still love you".

The Doctor opened his mouth to say something but the doors suddenly slide open, the Master followed by Lucy walked in, "Why am I not surprised?" the Master rolled his eyes, casting a look at the Hatter as he walked further into the room.

"You did say I could go anywhere, see anyone," the Time Lady replied stiffly, giving him a cold look over her shoulder.

"Tomorrow, they launch," the Master told them as he ignored the Hatter's remark, "We're opening up a rift in the Braccatolian space," the Hatter gasped and clenched her fists together to try and keep her temper under control, "They won't see us coming. Kinda scary".

"Then stop," the Doctor tried again.

"Once the empire is established and there's a new Gallifrey in the heavens, maybe then…it stops," he walked closer to the cage, looking through the bars at the Doctor, "The drumming. The never-ending drumbeat. Ever since I was a child. I looked into the Vortex. That's when it chose me. The drumming, the call to war. Can't you hear it? Listen, it's there now. Right now. Tell me you can hear it, Doctor, Hatter. Tell me".

"It's you only," the Doctor said as the Hatter shook her head, looking down at the floor sadly.

The Master seemed to think about it before smiling, "Good".

The doors behind them slide open again as a Toclafane entered, the Hatter flinched away from it as she moved closer to the Doctor's cage, "Tomorrow, the war," the Toclafane said in a little girl's voice, "Tomorrow we rise. Never to fall!"

"You see?" the Master asked, turning and gesturing at the Toclafane, "I'm doing it for them! You should be grateful! After all, you both love them. So very, very much," he turned and sat down in one of the chairs at the table, staring at the Doctor and the Hatter, "I took Lucy to Utopia. A Time Lord and his human companion. I took her to see the stars. Isn't that right, sweetheart?"

"Trillions of years into the future," Lucy nodded, looking dazed, "To the end of the Universe".

"Tell them what you saw," the Master ordered.

"Dying. Everything dying. The whole of creation was falling apart. And I thought…there's no point. No point to anything. Not ever".

"And it's all your fault," the Master said pointedly to the Doctor, "You should have seen it, Doctor, Hatter. Furnaces, burning. The last of humanity screaming at the dark. All that human invention that had sustained them across the eons. It all turned inwards. They cannibalized themselves".

"We made ourselves so pretty," the Toclafane added its agreement.

"Regressing into children," the Master continued, "But it didn't work. The Universe was collapsing around them," he laughed, "My masterpiece, Doctor, Hatter. A living TARDIS, strong enough to hold the paradox in place, allowing the past and the future to collide in infinite majesty".

"But you're changing history," the Doctor and the Hatter tried to argue, "Not just Earth, the entire Universe".

"I'm a Time Lord," the Master replied, "I have that right".

"No Time Lord has that right," the Hatter glared at him, "Our only right over time is to watch it, to protect it from people like you, to learn from it. The Time Lords understood that, they may have believed just as you that they could do whatever they liked but at least they stuck to the rules".

"Only because they were too weak," the Master glared back at her.

"Why come all this way just to destroy?" the Doctor asked, eyeing the Master's glare toward the Hatter out of the corner of his eye as he looked at the Toclafane.

"We've come backwards in time to build a brand new empire lasting 100 trillion years," the Toclafane answered.

"With me as their master," the Master smirked, "Time Lord and human combined. Haven't you two always dreamed of that, Doctor, Hatter?" he stood and walked closer to them, "Human race. Greatest monsters of them all," he smiled, giving them a small wave, "Night-night," and with that, he turned and walked out with Lucy and the Toclafane following.

The Doctor and the Hatter stared after him before she turned around, "He really is insane," she sighed sadly, "I wish…I wish there was something we could do to help him, maybe make him more like he used to be".

"I know, my love," the Doctor nodded, reaching out his hand to touch her cheek as she leant it against the side of the cage, closing her eyes at his touch, "Not long now and things will be better".

The Hatter frowned, opening her eyes to look at him, "What do you mean?"

The Doctor didn't answer, merely smiled in the same way that he always did when he was hiding something from her, making her frown deepen.

….

The Doctor was lying on his side at the bottom of his cage, watching as the Hatter slept with her head resting on top of her arms on the table, looking more peaceful then she had throughout the entire year. It made him feel better knowing that for now she was safe and well, sleeping peacefully in front of him.

Suddenly, the sound of the doors sliding open and the Master tiptoed inside, dressed in a silk robe with his hair mussed and sticking out on different angels. He hurried over to the Doctor's cage, grinning madly as the Hatter jumped awake, almost falling out of her chair.

"Guess what?" the Master said to them, smiling gleefully.

_**I'm sorry about the wait; I've been studying for exams and school work, stuff like that. I did find some time to write a chapter for 'The Doctor and the Hatter, when it all started,' and I've also started a story called 'Time and space,' featuring one shots with the Doctor and the Hatter. I hope you liked it, please review :)**_


	28. Chapter 28 The Last of the Time Lords p2

_**The last of the Time Lords, part 2.**_

"Citizens of Earth, rejoice and observe!" the Master's voice called over the loudspeaker as Martha was escorted into the conference room/bridge. She walked inside, glancing to the side to were her family was standing, on the other side, Jack was standing, still dressed in his dirty clothes.

She turned back to face the front of the room, noticing the Doctor standing in his cage that had been moved to the side of the room, the Hatter stood, hand cuffed to a part of the wall. The Hatter gave her a small smile as she neared; trying to give her a comforting nod to tell her that is was going to be alright.

"Your teleport device," the Master said, turning around to look at Martha as she stopped at the base of the stairs, "In case your thought I'd forgotten," Martha pulled out Jack's Manipulator and tossed it to him, "And now…kneel," Martha did as she was told, "Down below, the fleet is ready to launch. Two hundred thousand ships set to burn across the Universe," he turned and pressed a button, opening up the comm. Link, "Are we ready?"

"The fleet awaits your signal," a man came over, "Rejoice!"

"Three minutes to align the black hole converters," the Master turned and flicked a switch on a clock on the wall, making it begin counting down the seconds, "Counting down!" he turned and grinned at the room, "I never could resist a ticking clock. My children, are you ready?"

"We will fly and blaze and slice!" the cry of millions of Toclafane came over, making the Hatter shiver, "We will fly and blaze and slice!"

"At zero, to mark this day, the child, Martha Jones, will die," the Master announced, smiling, "Ha, my first blood. Ha, any last words? No?" he looked over to the Doctor, smirking as he noticed the glare the Hatter was giving him, "Such a disappointment, this one. Days of old, Doctor, you had companions who could absorb the Time Vortex. Even you, Hatter, had companions who could end wars. This one's useless!" he turned back to Martha, taking out his laser screwdriver, "Bow your head," she did, "And so it fells to me, the Master of all, to establish from this day, a new order of Time Lords! From this day forward…" Martha started laughing, "What? What's so funny?"

"A gun?" Martha raised her eyebrows, looking up at him.

"What about it?" the Master asked.

"A gun in four parts?"

"Yes, and I destroyed it".

"A gun in four parts scattered across the world?" Martha said, rolling her eyes, "I mean, come on. Did you _really_ believe that?"

The Master frowned, looking confused, "What do you mean?"

"As if we would ask her to kill," the Doctor and the Hatter smirked, glancing at each other.

"Oh, well, it doesn't matter," the Master shrugged, aiming the laser at Martha again, smiling, "I've got her exactly where I want her".

"But I knew what Professor Docherty would do," Martha explained, remembering the women, "The Resistance knew about her son. I told her about the gun, so she'd get me here. At the right time".

"Oh, but you're still gonna die!" the Master laughed.

"Don't you wonna know what I was doing? Travelling the world?"

The Master sighed, "Tell me".

"I told a story, that's all," Martha told him, "No weapons, just words. I did just what the Doctor and the Hatter said. I went across the continents all on my own. And everywhere I went, I found people, and I told them my story. I told them about the Doctor. And I told them to pass it on, to spread the word so that everyone would know about the Doctor".

"Faith and hope?" the Master laughed, "Is that all?"

"No, 'cos I gave then an instruction," she smiled, standing, "Just as the Doctor and the Hatter said. I told them that if everyone thinks of one word, at one specific time…"

"Nothing will happen!" the Master laughed again, "Is that you weapon? Prayer?"

"Right across the world," Martha continued, grinning, "One word, just one thought, at one moment…but with 15 satellites!"

"What?" he blinked slowly, his eyes widening.

"The Archangel Network," Jack smirked.

"A telepathic field binding the entire human race together," the Hatter smiled, watching the Master's reaction.

"With all of them, every single person on Earth, thinking the same thing at the same time," Martha laughed, "And that word…is Doctor".

The countdown hit zero and a bright, glowing field surrounded it's self around the Doctor, making the Hatter laugh in delight as she watched.

"Stop it!" the Master shouted, staring in horror, "No, no, no, no, you don't!"

"Brilliant!" the Hatter exclaimed, grinning widely.

Jack closed his eyes, whispering as he focused, "Doctor".

"Doctor," Mrs Jones also closed her eyes, focusing.

"Don…" the Master started, trailing off as he watched in horror as the security screens around the room began showing people all across the world, gathering in large groups and shouting the Doctor's name, "Stop this right now! Stop it!"

"Doctor," Lucy closed her eyes.

"Doctor," Jack said, this time louder as he continued to chant his name over and over.

"Doctor," Martha chanted.

The Hatter laughed, closing her eyes tightly as she thought of the Doctor, of every Doctor, "Doctor".

The energy field began to expand, breaking the cage until it was compliantly dissolved by the energy, transforming the Doctor back into the old man, "I've had a whole year to tune myself into the psychic network and integrate with its matrices," he explained to the Master.

"I order you to stop!" the Master shouted, becoming more and more desperate as more of the people around the world began chanting the Doctor's name.

"Doctor, Doctor, Doctor," the Hatter continued chanting, filling her mind with memories as she opened her eyes, looking at the Doctor to see him slowly return to his youthful self.

"The one thing you _can't_ do," the Doctor said, smiling, "Stop them thinking," Martha, Jack, and the Hatter laughed joyfully as the Doctor used the telepathic field to levitate, "Tell me the human race is degenerate now when they can do_ this_," he shot out his hand toward the Hatter and her hand cuffs popped open, falling to the ground.

The Hatter grinned and ran over to the Joneses as Martha did the same, hugging each one of them.

"No!" the Master yelled, trying to fire his laser screwdriver at the Doctor but if deflected off the field still surrounding him.

"I'm sorry," the Doctor shook his head, "I'm so sorry".

"Then I'll kill them!" the Master shouted, aiming his laser at the Joneses and the Hatter, mainly the Hatter but the Doctor shot out his hand again, coursing the laser to shoot across the room, "You can't do this!" he shouted, panicking as he realised that he was unarmed, "You can't do…it's not fair!"

"And you know what happens now".

"No!" the Master yelled, backing away as the Doctor floated after him, "No!" he fell backwards onto the floor, grovelling, "No! No!"

"You wouldn't listen…"

"No!"

"Because you knew what I'm going to say".

"No!" he cried, curling up into the fetal position as the energy field around the Doctor disappeared and he touched gently to floor, the wind that had been blowing throughout the room dying down.

The Doctor walked over to the whimpering Master and wrapped his arms around him, "I forgive you".

"My children!" the Master cried through the Doctor's arms, "Protect the paradox!"

Millions of Toclafane suddenly came over the comm., "Protect the paradox! Protect the paradox! Protect the paradox!"

"Captain!" the Hatter shouted, spinning around to look at Jack, "Quick! The paradox machine!"

"You men!" Jack pointed at a couple of guards, "With me," he started running from the room, pointing at Martha and the Hatter, "You two stay here!"

The Master pulled out the Manipulator just as the Hatter looked up and spotted him, "Oh no you don't!" she shouted, running over to them and grabbing hold as the Doctor did the same, moments before he activated it, coursing them to disappear, landing on a rocky cliff on the Earth moments later.

"Now it ends, Doctor, Hatter!" the Master shouted, spreading his arms out, looking around the cliff, "_Now_ it ends!"

Suddenly, alarms began blearing from the shipyard close by.

….

Martha ran up to the bridge, quickly looking at the computer, "We've all 6 billion spheres heading straight for us!" she shouted, staring outside the window, horrified, "Come on Doctor, Hatter. Come on!"

….

"We've got control of the _Valiant_," the Doctor told the Master as the Hatter stood beside him.

"You can't launch," the Hatter added, nodding.

"Oh, but I've got this," he grinned, holding up a small remote like device for them to see, "Black hole converter inside every ship. If I can't have this world, Doctor, Hatter, then neither can you," he spread his arms again, "We shall stand upon this Earth, together, as it burns!"

"But you won't," the Hatter shook her, stepping closer to the Master.

The Doctor nodded, also stepping closer, "Weapon after weapon after weapon," he took a step closer with each word, "All you do is talk and talk and talk. But over all these years…and all these disasters, we've always had the greatest secret of them all".

"We know you," the Hatter added, following the Doctor as he moved closer to the Master, "If you explode those ships, you'll kill yourself. And that's the one thing you could never do," she held out her hand to him, "Please, I'm begging you, give that to us".

The Master looked down at the device, slowly placing it in the Hatter's outstretched one but before she could pull away, he grabbed hold of her, "Your wrong," he told her as the Doctor moved to pull the Hatter away but she stopped him, knowing that the Master wasn't going to hurt her, not now, "I'm not afraid to die…but activating this means I kill you to. Now that's the _one_ thing I could never do".

The Hatter blinked, staring at him, "Okay," she breathed, glancing at the Doctor, wide eyed, "I wasn't quite expecting that…"

Suddenly the ground underneath them began to shack, sending them crashing to the Earth, signalling that Jack had destroyed the Paradox Machine. The Master grabbed the Manipulator, trying to shove the Doctor off as he did the same; the Hatter rolled her eyes and quickly leapt into the fight as the three Time Lords began fighting, rolling over each other before the Doctor managed to overpower the Master, activating the Manipulator and sending them back to the _Valiant_.

…

The _Valiant _began shacking and rocking around as the Paradox Machine was destroyed, throwing Martha to the floor where she was almost sent crashing down the stairs but suddenly four arms grabbed hold of her, steady her. She blinked and looked up to find the Doctor and the Hatter beside her.

"Everyone get down!" the Doctor shouted to everyone, "Time is reversing!" he pulled both women to the floor, holding on tightly to their hands with one arm around the Hatter's waist. They looked at each other and laughed, grinning madly.

It only took a couple of minutes for time to roll back, fading everything from the past year away until things were back to the way they used to be. Everyone held on tightly to whatever they could as the wind blew papers around.

As soon as everything had settled down, the Doctor and the Hatter jumped to their feet and ran over to the controls, "The paradox is broken," the Doctor said, checking the controls, "We've reverted back".

"One year and one day," the Hatter nodded, checking another set of controls, "Two minutes past 8:00 in the morning," she flicked a switch, turning on the comm.

"This is UNIT Central," a man's voice came over the link, "What's happening up there? We just saw the President assassinated!"

"You see?" the Doctor grinned, turning around to look at everyone, "Just after the President was killed, but just before the spheres arrived. Everything back to normal. Planet Earth restored," he turned and high fived the Hatter who laughed, "None of it happened. The rockets, the terror. It never was".

"What about the spheres?" Martha asked, frowning.

"Trapped at the end of the Universe," the Hatter told her.

"But I can remember it," Mrs Jones frowned, looking shaken.

"We're at the eye of the storm," the Hatter sighed, "We will be the only ones who will ever know. Which, when you think about it, is much better than what it could be…"

"Oh, hello!" the Doctor smiled, rushing forward as he spotted Mr Jones, "You must be Mr Jones! We haven't actually met".

"Nice to meet you," the Hatter smiled, shaking the man's hand after the Doctor.

While they were saying hello, the Master tried to make a break for it but as he reached the doors, they opened and Jack grabbed him, "Whoa, big fella! You don't want to miss the party," Jack looked at one of the guards, "Cuffs," he grabbed the cuffs and cuffed the Master's hands behind his back, "So, what do we do with this one?"

"We kill him," Mr Jones said at once.

"We execute him," Tish agreed, stepping forward.

"No, that's not the solution," the Doctor and the Hatter shook their heads firmly, looking around at them.

"Oh, I think so," Mrs Jones said, making them turn to see her pointing a gun at the Master, "'Cos all those…things, they still happened because of him. I saw them".

"Go on!" the Master urged, smiling, "Do it!"

"Francine, look at me," the Hatter said gently, moving toward her, slowly so not to scare her, "Please," Mrs Jones blinked and looked at her, whimpering slightly, "You're so much better than that, Francine. Think of you daughters, do you truly wish for them to witness there mother become a killer?" she gently placed a hand on top of Mrs Jones hand that was holding the gun, "And _you are not a kill_. Now, please let me take this".

Mrs Jones nodded, letting the gun the drop as she let the Hatter pull her into a hug, gesturing for Martha and Tish to take over.

"You haven't answered the question," the Master said, speaking to the Doctor and the Hatter, "What happens to me?"

"You're our responsibility from now on," the Doctor told him, "One of the last Time Lords left in existence".

"Yeah, but you can't trust him," Jack frowned, walking over to the Doctor.

"No," the Hatter shook her head sadly, "But we can't just kill him, he's still living and we don't take lives, Jack," she moved closer to the Master, looking at him sadly, "Doing that would make us no better than him".

The Doctor nodded his agreement, "The only safe place for him is the TARDIS".

"You mean you're just gonna…keep me?" the Master asked, frowning.

"Hmm," the Doctor nodded, "If that's what we have to do," he looked over to Martha and her family, glancing at Jack, "It's time for a change. Maybe we've been wandering for too long. Now we'll have someone else to care for".

Two gun shots suddenly rang out, everyone gasped, turning to see Lucy Saxon holding a gun, still aimed at the Master. He staggered backwards as the Doctor ran forward.

"Put it down," Jack said firmly to Lucy, eyeing her and the gun as he approached her.

"There you go," the Doctor said, carefully catching the Master before he fell to the ground, cradling him in his arms as he gently lowered him to the floor, "I've got you. I've got you".

"Always the women," the Master breathed, cringing in pain as blood began to seep through his shirt.

"I didn't see her," the Doctor sighed.

"Oh, my God," Martha gasped, looking at the Hatter who was extremely pale, looking as if she was only just standing upright as she clutched her chest, just above her left heart were she could see blood seeping through her fingers from a small hole in her shirt, "Hatter….you've been shot".

"Only…only a little," the Time Lady breathed, managing a painful smile as she could hear the Doctor and the Master, or though, it sounded as if it they were a very long way away and not just on the other side of the room, "Nothing to…to…worry…about…" she suddenly gasped and fell backwards.

Martha rushed forward and slowly eased her down to the floor, the same way the Doctor had just done with the Master, "I've got you," she told the Hatter, carefully moving her hand away from her chest, gasping as she saw the bullet wound, "Hatter, what…what do I do?"

"Nothing," she breathed, letting her head loll backwards, suddenly unable to hold it up, "My bodies…already working on that. See?" she held up her hand to show golden-orange energy swirling around it, "I'm regenerating".

"I have to get the Doctor," Martha shook her head but the Hatter managed to shack her head.

"No, not yet," she breathed, "He…he needs to say…goodbye…"

From behind them, the sound of the Doctor shouting could be heard.

"But he has to know," Martha shook her head, jumping slightly at the horrible sound; Jack spotted them and rushed over to them, kneeling beside them.

"Soon…"

"Hatter?" the Doctor called, suddenly realising that she wasn't beside him like she should be. He looked around when he suddenly spotted something made his hearts miss a beat. Martha was kneeling on the floor a short distance away, cradling the Hatter in her arms as Jack stood beside them. From what he could see, the Hatter was deathly pale as she clutched her chest with one hand; the other was lying limply at her side on the floor, blood could clearly be seen spreading down her shirt.

"Hatter!" he shouted, jumping to his feet and running to her side, almost shoving Jack and Martha out of the way as he pulled her into his arms, feelings fresh tears begin to run down his face, "Hatter, come on! Speak to me".

"Hello…sweetheart," she smiled faintly, "Don't worry….I'm regenerating…see?" she tried to hold up her hand but found that she couldn't, "Oh, dear…"

"Shh," the Doctor breathed, brushing some of her hair away, struggling to hold back sob, "It's alright, don't talk".

"I'm…I'm scared, Doctor," she gasped, tears spring from her eyes as she began crying, "It's been so long…since….since I regenerated…"

"It's going to be alright," he said firmly, not bothering to stop himself for crying now, hating seeing her in so much pain and fear, "I'm not going anywhere, you hear me? I love you".

"I...I love you to," and with that, the Hatter's body suddenly began convulsing, glowing brightly with regeneration energy, screaming as the full force of pain hit her.

….

Later that night, the Doctor stood by the pyre with the Master's body on top of it. He lit a touch and set alight to it, watching sadly as the body of his old friend, turn enemy was given its final send off. He glanced behind him toward the TARDIS, wishing that the Hatter could be with him but she was lying unconscious in her room, still recovering from the regenerating. She had yet to regain consciences at all.

He sighed, looking back at the burning pyre before nodding, turning and making his way back to the TARDIS.

…

The Doctor, Martha, and Jack stood, leaning against the railings by the Pierhead Building in Cadiff, close to where Jack had said that Torchwood was located while people walked around them, not taking any notice of them.

"Time was," Martha remarked, looking around at all of the people walking around them, "Every single one of these people knew your name. Now they've all forgotten you".

"Good," a fermion voice with a slightly Scottish accent remarked from behind them, making them jump and turn around, almost doing a double take at seeing the Hatter standing there, "He already has a big enough head".

She was still dressed in her last incarnation's clothes, scarf and all, but she had replaced her bloody smiley face T-shirt with another one. She was shorter than her last body but still quite tall, around 5'9, with wavy blonde hair but this time she had a side fringe, baby blue eyes, pale skin, and high cheekbones that only enhanced her beauty.

The Hatter smiled, the Doctor couldn't help but notice that this regeneration seemed to have a slightly cheeky streak in it, going by the spark in her eyes, something he couldn't wait to see more of. She blushing faintly at the attention, especially with the way the Doctor was looking at her, "I'm sorry," she apologised, looking amused, "I couldn't help myself".

"How are you feeling?" Martha asked, still trying to wrap her head around her odd it was to see the Hatter as a blonde.

"Well enough," the Time Lady replied after a moment, thinking it over carefully, "I mean, it's going to take a while before I get used to everything, the accent is a big one for starters. I haven't had a Scottish accent before. It's…different, but a good different".

"No twinges?" the Doctor asked, eyeing her as he moved closer to her, "No side effects?"

"Not that I am aware of," she shook her head, "But give me time, no doubt I will have some trouble later, I did only just wake up not 15 minutes ago, sweetheart".

"You'll tell me if…"

"Yes, yes," the Hatter rolled her eyes, reaching up and kissing him softly, mainly to get him off the topic of her.

Jack shook his head, watching them before he cleared his throat, making the two Time Lords jump apart, both blushing bright red, "Back to work," he said, ducking under the railing.

"I really don't mind, though," the Doctor said, clearing his throat, glancing at the Hatter who nodded to show she agreed, "Come with us".

"Please?" the Hatter smiled.

Jack smiled, shaking his head, "I had plenty of time to think that past year, the Year-That-Never-Was," he looked behind him, "And I kept thinking about that team of mine," he glanced back at them, "Like you said, Doctor, responsibility".

"Defending the Earth," the Doctor nodded, "Can't argue with that," he reached his hand out for Jack to shake, sneakily exposing his Manipulator, pulling out his sonic.

"Hey, I need that!" Jack tried to pull his hand away but the Doctor tightened his grip.

"Sorry, Jack," the Hatter gave him a small smile, "But we can't have you walking around with a time travelling teleport".

"You could go anywhere," the Doctor nodded, flashing his sonic at the Manipulator, "Twice. The second time to apologise".

"And what about me?" Jack asked, sounding slightly anxious, "Can you fix that? Will I ever be able to die?"

"Nothing I can do," the Doctor shook his head.

The Hatter laughed, sending him a small wink that made Martha and the Doctor blink, "You're an impossible thing, Jack, and I don't say that lightly".

Jack laughed, "Been called that before," he turned to walk away before pausing, turning back around and saluting, "Sir. Ma'ams," the Hatter gave him an elaborate curtsy, making the others laugh as Jack turned to walk away again but stopped, turning back, "But I keep wondering…what about aging? 'Cos I can't die but I keep getting older. The odd little grey hair, you know? What happens if I live for a million years?"

"Buy lots of hair dye?" the Hatter joked.

Jack laughed again, shaking his head, "Okay, vanity. Sorry. Yeah, can't help it. Used to be a poster boy when I was a kid back on the Boeshane Peninsula. Tiny little place. I was the first one ever to be signed up for the Time Agency. They were so proud of me. 'The Face of Boe' they called me," the Doctor and Martha mouths dropped, staring at him as the Hatter smiled faintly, having already guessed, "Hmm, I'll see you," and with that, he turned and jogged off.

"It can't be," Martha breathed, staring after Jack, shocked.

"No, definitely not," the Doctor shook his head, "No," Martha started laughing; the Hatter couldn't help but smile, "No!"

"Oh, yes," the Hatter laughed, linking her arm through both the Doctor's and Martha's as they laughed.

….

The Doctor and the Hatter stood outside the TARDIS, leaning against it as they watched through the window of the Joneses, reuniting with each other in their own home at long last. Mrs Jones saw them through the window and they gave her a small nod before turning, walking back inside the TARDIS.

The console room was back to normal, thankfully, and now with the Doctor's hand sitting on the floor under it. As they entered, the Doctor pulled off his coat and chucked it over Y-beam before heading over to the jump set, leaning back on it as he propped his feet up on the console.

The Hatter pulled her own coat of, making a mental note to find a new one seeing as it didn't fit her as well as it used to, shooting the Doctor a disproving look as she noticed his legs but shrugging it off as she flopped down beside him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"So…" she started, glancing at him, "What do you think of the new me?"

"I think it suits you," the Doctor smiled, kissing her forehead, "Or it will".

"Good".

….

Martha stepped inside the TARDIS, smiling slightly as she noticed the Doctor and the Hatter sitting together, peering around the console to look at her.

"Right then!" the Doctor grinned, jumping up, "Off we go! The open road! There is a burst of star fire right now over the coast of Meta Sigmafolio. Oh, the sky is like oil on water. Fancy a look?" the Hatter sighed, looking at Martha sadly, already knowing what was coming, "Or…back in time. We could…I don't know, Charles II? Henry VII? I know! What about Agatha Christie? I'd love to meet Agatha Christie! I bet she's brilliant!" his smile slowly faded as he realised that Martha wasn't smiling, he glanced at the Hatter to find her to looking at Martha sadly, and that's when it hit him, "Okay".

"I just can't…" Martha sighed.

"Yeah," the Doctor nodded, the Hatter moved forward and put a hand on his arm.

"Spent all these years training to be a doctor," Martha explained, "Now I've got people to look after. They saw half the planet slaughtered…" the Hatter flinched, closing her eyes as she tried not to think about it, "…and they're devastated. I can't leave them".

"And your right, Martha," the Hatter nodded, opening her eyes as she walked over to her and gave her a hug, "It's going to be tough but you'll get through it. I wish you luck, Miss Martha Jones".

"Same to you, Hatter," Martha smiled, hugging her back before stepping back.

"Ooh, hang on," the Time Lady suddenly said, frowning as she started patting down her old jeans before running over to Y-beam and grabbing her old coat, pulling out her sonic and passing it to Martha, "Keep it".

"What?" Martha blinked, staring at her as if she had gone insane.

"I'm serious," she nodded, "Take it, I don't really need it," she leaned forward, saying quietly so the Doctor couldn't hear, "Besides, it's more fun stealing the Doctors," she winked and drew back, "And don't forget to practise learning Gallifreyan, you were getting quite good. Should you get stuck, email me".

"You have an email?" the Doctor asked, giving her an odd look.

"From my human days, yes," the Hatter shrugged, "I don't really use it but I that's only because I don't have anyone to talk to".

"Right," Martha shook her head, taking the still offered screwdriver and tucking it away safely in her jacket, "I'll remember that".

The Doctor shook his head, stepping forward and smiling at Martha, "Thank you," he said before pulling her into a tight hug, "Martha Jones, you saved the world".

"Yes, I did," Martha smiled, stepping back from him, "I spent a lot of time with you two and you know what I realised?" they gave questioning looks, "I am good," she smiled at them before it slowly slipped, looking in between them, "Are you gonna be alright?"

"Always," the Doctor nodded, putting his arm around the Hatter, smiling, "I have my Hatter, don't I?"

"And I have my Doctor," the Hatter grinned at him, kissing his cheek even though they all knew that it wouldn't be that easy, it was nice to pretend.

"Right, then" Martha nodded, kissing the Doctor's cheek and hugging the Hatter tightly, pulling out her phone and tossing it at him, "Keep that," she nodded to it, "'Cos I'm not having you two disappear. If that rings, when that rings, you two better come running back. Got it?"

"Got it," the two Time Lords said in unison.

She smiled and turned, beginning to walk away before looking over her shoulder, "I'll see you again," she gave them another smile before turning and walking out side, closing the TARDIS doors behind her.

The Doctor and the Hatter sighed, falling against the console, the Doctor pulling the Hatter into his arms as they brought their foreheads together, pleased to be able to touch each other after an entire year of being apart.

_**So, did anyone get the hints I dropped a couple of chapters ago about the Hatter possibly regenerating? And I have just got to say, it killed me having to write that scene but I was asked by a friend of mine to make it depressing so I thought I might as well. Next up is Time Crash; I have been waiting so long to write that, the Fifth Doctor is one of my favourite classic Doctors, not to mention I just love it when the Doctor meets his past self. We'll be seeing a bit more of the Hatter's cheeky side in the next chapter; also, she might turn out to be a bit flirtier then her past self. Anyway, I hope you liked it, please review and tell me what you thought :)**_


	29. Chapter 29 Time Crash

_**Time Crash.**_

The Hatter smiled, gently kissing the Doctor before stepping away from him and flicking a switch, sending them off into the Time Vortex, "Now, one more thing to do," she commented, sending a small wink to the Doctor as she picked up the phone on the console and began dialling.

"Who are you calling?" the Doctor asked, raising his eyebrows as he looked around the time rotor, fiddling with the controls.

She shook her head and held up a finger for him to be quit, "Oh, hello," she said brightly a moment later, talking into the phone, "Oh…I hate those stupid recording things," she muttered a moment later, rolling her eyes as she held out her hand to the Doctor, "Sonic, sweetheart?"

"You should have kept yours," he shook his head, pulling the screwdriver out and passing it to her, watching as she flashed it at the phone; "You seem to be picking up a habit of giving away your screwdriver. First Mickey now Martha".

"Well, I felt like I should repay them for being so brilliant," the Hatter shrugged, holding up her hand again as she smiled, "Ah, yes, am I talking to UNIT HQ?" the Doctor blinked and hurried around to her side of the console, trying to listen in, "Oh, good. Excellent. Now, I need you to check you records, my names the Hatter…." She blinked, blushing slightly as the Doctor grinned, hearing everything on the other end, "You've heard of me, I assume, judging by your sudden silence and increase in breathing pattern".

"They would have to be living under a rock to not have," the Doctor whispered in her other ear, kissing her cheek as she blushed again.

"Don't start," she muttered, putting a finger on his mouth to make him stop talking, turning back to the phone, "Anyway, thank you, I'm glad you found my reports interesting," she shot the Doctor a look, remembering how often the Doctor would try to drag her away while she was trying to write them, "Now, I need you to transfer my call to whoevers in charge, preferably Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, if he's still around?"

The Doctor gave her a questioning look, still not sure what her plane was.

The Hatter was quit for a moment, muttering something about hating elevator music before her eyes lit up, "Alistair, how are you?" she laughed slightly, "Yes, it's really me. Oh, and the Doctor's here, too," she passed the Doctor the phone.

"Hello Brigadier!" he grinned into the phone, "Yep, I've done it again," he sent the Hatter a sideways look, referencing regeneration, "So has the Hatter. No, no, well, blonde," the Hatter gave him a look, "Oh, right, sorry, better go. Yeah, she is giving me a look".

"Men," the Hatter sighed, shaking her head and grabbed the phone out of his hands, "Hello again, Alistair. Look, I need to ask you a small favour," she laughed slightly, biting her bottom lip, "No, no, it's nothing like that. Honestly, who do you think I am? Actually, don't answer that. It's about a dear friend of the Doctor and I. Martha Jones. She's training to be a doctor, a very good one, too. I think UNIT could use more people like her, give her a call. I promise you that you won't regret it," she slowly nodding, smiling as the Doctor's eyes winded, "Oh, Alistair, I could just kiss you!" she cast a look at the Doctor, "Or though, something tells me the Doctor wouldn't like that".

"Defiantly," the Doctor agreed firmly, feeling a spark of jealousy at the very thought.

"Thank you, Alistair," the Time Lady nodded a moment later, ignoring the Doctor's comment, "We'll, talk to you later. Perhaps, we might even drop by, after all, it has been quite a while," she smiled, nodding, "Alright, deal. Goodbye".

The Doctor raised his eyebrows as she put the receiver down, "Should I be worried?"

"Always, sweetheart," she kissed his cheek before shrugging, "But just this once, no. I've just agreed that we would drop by and say hello, it's the very least we can do after he agreed to offer Martha a job".

"You are brilliant," he grinned.

"Everyone has their moments".

Suddenly the TARDIS jolted and began shaking violently, sending them crashing to the floor in a heap, alarms blearing. They quickly scrambled to their feet and began trying to work on the controls.

"Stop it!" the Doctor shouted at the console as things slowly began settling down, "What was all that about, eh? Eh?" he glanced at the Hatter, seeing her frowning too, "Hatter? Idea's?"

But before she could answer, someone else cut her off, "Right," her eyes winded as she spotted who was talking, the Doctor didn't seem to notice, "Just settle down now".

The Hatter stepped back, staring in shock as the two men bumped into each other as they worked at the controls.

"Excuse me," the Doctor said, not taking any notice as he thought it was the Hatter he had just bumped into.

"So sorry," other man apologised, fiddling around with the controls.

Both men paused and looked up sharply, glancing at each other, "What?" the Doctor gaped, staring at the other man.

"What?" the other man frowned, staring wide eyed at the Doctor.

"What?" the Doctor shouted, taking in the other man's appearance in shock, noting the cricket jumper, striped trousers, the white jacket, and even the stick of celery pinned to his lapel. He glanced toward the Hatter, "Are you seeing who I'm seeing?"

The Hatter could only nod, staring compliantly stunned speechless at the Fifth Doctor. She had never expected to see this version of the Doctor again.

"Who are you?" the Fifth Doctor demanded, looking in between the two of them.

"Oh, brilliant!" the Tenth Doctor exclaimed, looking delighted, "I mean, totally wrong," he glanced over to see her eyeing his past self, looking slightly concerned, "Big emergency, Universe goes bang five minutes but…brilliant!"

The Fifth Doctor frowned, eyeing them both, "I'm the Doctor, who are you?"

"Yes, you are!" the Tenth grinned, "You _are_ the Doctor".

"Yes, I am," the Fifth nodded, giving him an odd look, "I'm the Doctor".

"Oh dear," the Hatter muttered to herself, eyeing the Tenth Doctor as he fangirled at his past self, looking amused, "This could take a while…"

"Oh, good for you, Doctor," the Tenth smiled, nodding, "Good for brilliant old you".

"Is there something wrong with you?" the other man asked, staring oddly at his future self.

"There is it!" the Hatter suddenly exclaimed, coming to stand beside her Doctor, grinning madly as she eyed the past Doctor, "The frowny face. I love that one!"

"I remember that one!" the Tenth nodded, grinning again as he grabbed the Fifth Doctor's face in both his hands, squishing his cheeks around, frowning slightly, "Mind you, bit saggier than it ought to be, hairs a bit greyer".

"That's only because of you, though," the Hatter nodding to the Tenth Doctor, smiling at the Fifth, "And I thought Jack was vain," she shook her head, getting back on topic, "The two of you being inside the TARDIS at the same time must have shorted out the time deferential," the Fifth Doctor stared at her, she reminded him so much of his Hatter, "Not to worry, though. It'll snap back into place once we've sent you home".

"Be able to close that coat again," the Tenth Doctor laughed, leaning forward and tugging on his white coat, "But never mind that! Look at you!" he grinned, "The hat…"

"Have I ever mentioned how attractive I find a man who wears a hat before?" the Hatter asked, winking at the Fifth Doctor, making both Doctor's blush bright red. She smiled but slowly lost it, "Oh, this body seems to be a bit flirty compered to my last one. How…odd".

"Anyway," the Tenth Doctor said loudly, turning back to the Fifth Doctor, "The coat, the crickety cricket stuff, the…" he trailed off, giving the celery pinned to the other man's lapel an odd look, "Stick of celery, yeah," he nodded slowly, "Brave choice celery, but fair play to you, not a lot of men can carry off a decorative vegetable".

"I always tried to find it endearing," the Hatter remarked quietly to her Doctor.

"Shut up!" the Fifth Doctor shouted at Ten, glaring harshly at him as he pulled her hat off, making the Hatter jump at his sudden outburst, "There is something wrong with my TARDIS and I've got to do something about it very, _very_ quickly, and it would help, it really would help, if there wasn't some skinny idiot…" the Hatter couldn't help but let out a small giggle, "Ranting in my face about everything that happens to be in front of him!"

"Oh," the Doctor blinked, slightly taken aback, "Okay. _Sorry_, _Doctor_".

The Fifth Doctor seemed to sigh in relief, "Thank you," turning around to look at the controls on the console behind him.

"Oh!" the Tenth Doctor grinned, almost jumping around in excitement again, "The back of my head!"

"Not exactly," the Hatter murmured, eyeing her Doctor, amused.

"What?" the Fifth Doctor frowned, glancing at them.

"Sorry, sorry, not something you see every day, is it?" he shook his head, "The back of your own head," he slowly frowned, eyeing it, "Mind you, I see why you wear a hat. I don't want to seem vain, but…could you keep that on?"

The Hatter rolled her eyes, shaking her head at him.

"What have you done to my TARDIS?" the Fifth Doctor demanded, looking around at the interior, "You've changed the desktop theme…what is this then, coral?"

"Well…" the Tenth Doctor and Hatter shrugged.

"It's worse than the leopard skin," the Fifth Doctor turned back to the console, taking his half-mood glasses out and putting them on.

"Oh, yes!" the Hatter laughed, pointing at the man who turned and stared at her, feeling the strangest feeling that he knew her, "There they come!"

"The brainy specs!" the Tenth Doctor grinned, shoving his hands inside his pockets, "You don't even need them; you just think they make you look a bit clever".

"Well, I would be lying if I said they didn't," the Hatter nodded her agreement, kissing the Tenth Doctor's cheek, making him grin broadly.

Suddenly an alarm sounded.

"That's an alert!" the Fifth Doctor's eyes winded, looking around, "Level five. Indicates…"

"Indicates a temporal collision," the Hatter cut in, ignoring the grin on her Doctor's face as she moved beside the Fifth Doctor, moving her hands around the controls expectedly while the past Doctor could only stare after her, "Two TARDISes have merged, but only one in present. It appears that two time zones are at war in the heart of the TARDIS…"

"That's a paradox," the Fifth Doctor cut in, frowning as he turned to the Hatter, "How did you work all of that out?"

"The paradox could blow a hole in the space time continuum the size of…" she moved the monitor around for the Fifth Doctor to be able to see, ignoring his question.

"The exact size of Belgium," the Fifth Doctor finished, looking at the screen as he glanced at the other two in the room, "That's a bit un-dramatic, isn't it? Belgium?"

"Only you could say something like that," the Hatter rolled her eyes.

The Tenth Doctor pulled out his sonic, holding it up to his past self, "Need this?"

The other man shook his head, glancing at it, "No, I'm fine".

"Oh no, of course, you mostly went hands free didn't you?" the Tenth Doctor shook his head, tucking the sonic away, "It's like 'hey, I'm the Doctor, I can save the Universe with a kettle and some string, and look at me, I'm wearing a vegetable!'"

The Fifth Doctor moved closer to him, looking into Tens eyes, "Who are you?"

"Take a look," he told him.

"Oh…" Fives eyes winded, "Oh no…"

"Oh yes".

"You're…oh no, you're…"

"Here it comes," the Tenth Doctor nodded, grinning, "Yep, yep I am".

"A fan!" the Fifth Doctor exclaimed, looking disgusted as he walked around the console to were the Hatter was standing, looking over her shoulder as it beeped.

The Hatter glanced up, trying and failing to stop herself from laughing terribly.

"Yep!" the Tenth Doctor grinned, slowly losing it as he realised what he said, looking horrified as he glanced at the Hatter to confirm it, "What?"

"Oh, this is one of the funniest things I have ever witnessed," the Hatter laughed, clutching her sides.

"Level ten now," the Fifth Doctor frowned, looking at the readings on the monitor, "This is bad. Two minutes to Belgium".

"What do you mean 'a fan?'" the Tenth Doctor asked, pouting as he stared after him, "I'm not just a _fan_, I'm you!"

"Is this really the time, Doctor?" the Hatter asked, giving her Doctor a look over her shoulders from where she was working with the controls, "Can't you do this later?"

The Fifth Doctor waved his future self-off, "Okay, you're my biggest fan. Look, it's perfectly understandable. I go zooming around space and time, saving planets, fighting monsters, and being, well, let's be honest, pretty sort of marvellous…" the Tenth Doctor grinned, looking smug as he winked at the Hatter, making her roll her eyes at his ego, "And naturally every now and then people notice me. Starts up there little groups. That LINDA lot…are you?" he frowned at them, "How did you get in here?" he pointed a finger at them, "Can't have you lot knowing where I live".

"Listen to me, I'm you!" the Tenth Doctor shouted, trying to get it through to him, finally having enough, "I'm you with a new face," he started slapping his cheeks to try and get it through, "Check out this bone structure Doctor, because one day, you're going to be shaving it".

"He's telling the truth, Doctor," the Hatter nodded, "He's you just a future you".

The sound of the Cloister Ball suddenly sounded, "The Cloister Bell," the Fifth Doctor breathed, looking around, alarmed.

"Here's out cue, Doctor," the Hatter sighed as the Tenth Doctor ran forward and began helping her with the controls.

"In less than a minute we're going to detonate a black hole strong enough to swallow the entire Universe!" the Fifth Doctor cried.

The Tenth Doctor paused in what he was doing, looking at him, "Yeah…" he said slightly embarrassed by the fact that he had become distracted by the Hatter, not that he was going to tell him that, "That's my fault, actually, I was rebuilding the TARDIS, forgot to put the shields back up…"

"I tried to tell you," the Hatter shook her head, not looking up from the console.

"Right, sorry," he scratched the back of his neck, "Your TARDIS and my TARDIS…well, the same TARDIS, different points in its own time steam collided and, oops, there you go, end of the Universe, butterfingers. But don't worry; I know exactly how all this works out…" he turned to the Hatter, "Take it away!"

"Venting the Thermal Buffer," she said, dancing around the console, flicking buttons and pulling levellers here and there, "Flooring the Helmic Regulator, and frying the Zeiton crystals".

The Fifth Doctor's eyes winded and he tried to pull her away from the controls but the Tenth Doctor pulled him back, "She's going to blow up the TARDIS!" he shouted.

"It's the only way out," the Tenth Doctor told him, keeping a tight hold on his arm.

"Who told you that?" the other man frowned.

"You told me that!" he shouted just as the Hatter pulled a lever. The entire room was filled with a bright, white light, blinding them all for a moment before it past. The Hatter sighed in relief, falling backwards against the console railing, blowing part of her new fringe out of eyes as she did.

"Supernova and black hole at the exact same instant," the Fifth Doctor breathed, staring at the Hatter in amazement, "You are…you are a genius!"

"I have my moments," she smiled, shrugging as she blushed.

"Explosion cancels out implosion," the Tenth Doctor nodded, grinning at the Hatter, "_You _are a beyond brilliant".

"So are you," the Hatter smiled, "Both of you".

"Matter stays constant," the Fifth Doctor continued, staring at the blonde women in front of him.

The Tenth Doctor looked at his future self, grinning, "Like I said, _she's_ brilliant!"

"Far too brilliant," the Fifth Doctor frowned, eyeing that Hatter, "I've only ever meet one other person who can fly the TARDIS like that".

"That person wouldn't be by any chance called the Hatter, would it?" the Hatter asked, raising her eyebrows, trying not to smile.

The Fifth Doctor's eyes winded as he stepped toward her, sounding unsure and a little hopeful, "Hatter, is that you?"

"Hello Doctor," she smiled, giving him a small wave.

"But…but how did you work that out?" the Fifth Doctor asked, "You didn't have time, even you couldn't have known what to do that quickly".

"She didn't need to work it out," the Tenth Doctor told him, "Because I told her about this happening".

"You remembered," the Fifth Doctor gasped, realising what that could only mean.

"Because _you_ will remember".

"You remembered being me," the Fifth Doctor nodded, "Watching the Hatter, doing that," he gestured to the console, "You already knew what would happen because I watched her do it".

"Wibbley wobbley…" the Tenth Doctor and Hatter started before all three of them finished with, "Timey wimey!"

The Tenth Doctor held up his hand for his past self to high five, only to receive a confused look. He turned to the Hatter who shook her head, trying not to laugh as she high fived him. The sound of another alarm going of made them look up, frowning.

"What?" the Tenth Doctor asked, turning to the Hatter.

"Not to worry," she said, "It's just the TARDISes separating," she looked at the other Doctor sadly, "Sorry Doctor, your times up".

"Back to long ago…" the Tenth Doctor said, frowning, "Where are you now? Nyssa, Tegan, and the Fourth Hatter, Cybermen and Mara and Time Lords in funny hats and the Master? Oh he just showed up again, same as ever".

"Oh no," the Fifth Doctor groaned, grimacing at the thought of seeing him again, "Really? Does he still have that rubbish beard?"

"No…" the Tenth Doctor shook his head, "No beard this time…well, a wife…"

The Fifth Doctor looked down at himself, looking confused as he started fading, "Oh, I seem to be off. What can I say?" he looked at the Hatter, smiling warmly, "It's nice to see nothing has changed, Hatter. Still beautiful as ever".

"Personally I think my last body was better looking," the Hatter shrugged, "I've only been in this body a few hours and I'm already missing my red hair, not to mention the couple of inches I'm missing," she shook her head, smiling at him, "But never mind that! It was lovely to see you again; you were always one of my favourites".

The Fifth Doctor blushed, turning to his future self, "Thank you…Doctor".

"Thank _you_," he smiled, stepping beside the Hatter and putting an arm around her.

"I'm very welcome," the Fifth Doctor laughed before fading compliantly, the Hatter quickly reached over and flicked a switch, bring him back as the Tenth Doctor picked up his forgotten hat and walking toward him.

"You know…" the Tenth Doctor began, "I loved being you. Back when I first started, at the very beginning, I was always trying to be old and grumpy and important, like you do when you're young. And then I was you…and it was all dashing about and playing cricket and my voice going squeaky when I shouted…"

"He still does that," the Hatter laughed, nudging her Doctor's side, "It always makes me think of you when he does that. I love it".

The Tenth Doctor grinned at her, kissing her cheek before turning back to his past self, "I got that from you. Oh!" he put his foot up on the console to show his shoes, "…and the trainers and…" he pulled out his glasses and put them on, grinning madly, "…snap. 'Cos you know what, Doctor? You were _my_ Doctor".

The Fifth Doctor smiled, tapping his hat to them, "To days to come".

"All our love to long ago," the Tenth Doctor and Hatter smiled, watching as he disappeared compliantly before turning to each other.

"That was fun," the Hatter grinned.

"I'm certainly not the same man I once was," he smiled, making her laugh at making a reference to the old days,

"Oh, Doctor, Hatter," they blinked as they heard the Fifth Doctor's voice calling to them, "Remember to put your shields up".

The Doctor shook his head as he leant over to the console and pressed a button….right as a ship's horn blasted and they were both sent flying to the floor, dust blowing into the air, covering them. They coughed and splatted, pushing themselves up to see the bow of an ocean liner had crashed through the side of the TARDIS.

"What…" the Doctor coughed, helping the Hatter to stand as she tried to brush dust off her old clothing.

"Doctor, look!" she gasped, pointing a life preserve lying on the floor. They walked over to it and picking it up, looking at each other as they read what is had written across it.

"What?" they shouted, looking back at the life preserve, reading the _TITANICE_ scrawled across it.

"You have got to be kidding me!" the Hatter exclaimed.

_**Continues in…Time Lady and her Time Lord.**_

_**I would like to say a massive thank you to everyone who reviewed, alerted, favourite, and just read it. I think my parents think I'm going insane after seeing me dance around the living room after getting a review, you have no idea how much it means to me to :)**_

_**I'll be posting the new story in a few hours so stay tuned; I hope you liked it :)**_


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